Fresh produce is an important part of a healthy diet. You can find good, fresh produce in many locations near you, ranging from your favorite grocery store to a local farmer’s market. Fruits and vegetables can be incorporated into your daily diet in many ways, whether that is eating them by themselves or incorporating them into new recipes. A particularly important part of eating fresh produce is to make sure you are storing it properly, so it is safe to eat. Today, we are going to give you a few tips and facts about how you should store your produce, so it stays fresher for longer.
You should be storing the majority of your produce in your refrigerator. Some produce that does not have to be stored in the refrigerator and should be kept at room temperature include bananas, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and dry onions. Your refrigerator should be kept at a temperature of 41°F or less. However, refrigerators can vary in temperature ranging from colder (32°F) to warmer (41°F), depending on the location in the refrigerator. The colder temperatures are typically in the back of the refrigerator, while the warmer temperatures tend to be near the front and by the door. Certain produce should be stored closer to the front/door of the refrigerator for the best quality.
The location where you put your fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator is important for many reasons. The main reason is because fruits, in general, produce ethylene gas. Ethylene gas fosters natural ripening, but when these ethylene-producing fruits are put near vegetables and non-ethylene producing fruits, it can cause them to deteriorate much more quickly and give them unpleasant characteristics. This means you should ideally store your ethylene-producing fruits as far away from your vegetables and non-ethylene producing fruits in your refrigerator as much as possible. Below is a picture showing where in your refrigerator your produce should be stored, as well as showing which fruits produce ethylene gas and which produce is sensitive to it.
Written by: Morgan Felix
Sources: https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/foodsafety_storage.pdf
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