Tips for Buying the Best Processed Fruits and Vegetables

Shopping can be a joy for some people, but for those who struggle to know how to buy produce properly, it can be a huge challenge. Just because an item is available, does not mean it should be purchased. Here are some helpful tips to help you buy produce the right way every time and potentially avoid getting sick from improperly managed fruits and vegetables.

Stick to Seasons

Seasonal produce is going to be the freshest, bottom line. Buying produce out of season means you will be paying a premium price for an average tasting product. Foods produced in their preferred season have far better flavor profiles than those produced out of season. They are also mostly grown locally, so you are not having to pay more for the food to be shipped from another location. Our bodies also tend to crave fruits and vegetables based on seasons. Lighter foods during the warmer months and more hearty, or root based produce during the winter.

Use Produce Quickly

Unlike canned and frozen foods, fresh produce has a much shorter shelf life. Due to the moisture content of many fruits and vegetables, mold can come on quickly. It is best to shop for fresh produce and use the product within a few days of purchase. Some fruits such as bananas can be used in baking breads once they are too overripe to eat, so just because a product looks past its prime, does not always mean it should be thrown out. When making your menu for the week, use fresh produce during the first half of the week and canned and frozen goods closer to the end. This will help you avoid any problems with moldy fruits and vegetables.

Know How Produce is Rotated

For those who have never worked in a grocery store or restaurant, there is a thing called FIFO in these industries. It basically stands for First in First Out and is an acronym used for rotating products correctly. Essentially, when new produce is brought into a store, the oldest produce is brought to the front with the intention of selling it first. Shoppers who know this will generally pull their products from the back of a selection to ensure they get the freshest produce possible.

Gentle Processing

Properly managed and processed fruits and vegetables are essential to maintaining the health of the produce as well as consumers. Food borne illnesses include viral infections, fungal infections, and bacterial infections that can all potentially harm consumers and it can be difficult to tell which fruits and vegetables may have bacteria that can cause infection in humans. Gentle Processing ™ is doing our part to support healthy foods throughout the world including your valued fruits and vegetables. Food that is processed using our Gentle Processing™ system maintains higher safety measures than other processing methods. If your fruits and vegetables are not processed with Gentle Processing™, potential of infection is high. How is your produce being processed?