Food safety has moved to the forefront of the produce industry. There are steps you can take to protect your family. The most important step is to rinse fruit and vegetables with warm water. Even though producers run most of their product through a sanitized wash, the product can become contaminated through the packing and shipping process.
In the grocery store the practice of cutting fruit at the store level can be a problem. I always ask the produce clerk about their HACCAP plan. If they have no idea what you're talking about, don't buy your cut fruit at that store. The problem is they are not following a documented plan for sanitizing. When they cut fruit, especially cantaloupes with netting, without washing the product, the knife can pick up bacteria on the skin which can contaminate the fruit as the product is prepared. Your best bet is to buy cut fruit from processors who pack under strict guidelines.
