4 Experts Weigh In On Warning Signs To Look Out For When Buying Fresh Produce

We all know that sinking feeling — you've stocked your fridge with fresh produce only to find that none of it lasts the week. While you can do plenty of things with frozen vegetables and tons of great ways to give canned fruit a new life, nothing quite compares with the real deal. Fresh fruits and veggies make a healthy addition to any diet and can be a cost-effective way to bulk out a week's meals. Knowing the warning signs to look out for when buying fresh produce can also save you money as you'll get foodstuffs that last longer.

To learn more about sourcing top-quality produce, we spoke with four experts in the food and health industry. Mitzi D. Baum is the CEO of Stop Foodborne Illness — a charity that works to prevent and investigate food poisoning outbreaks; Melanie Marcus is a registered dietician and is the nutrition, wellness, and health communications manager for the Dole Food Company; Brianna Shales is marketing director at Stemilt Growers; and Chef Joe Cash is the owner and founding chef of Scoundrel, a French Brasserie in Greenville, South Carolina. With their help, we took a deep dive into the best way to spot bad produce before taking it home.

Fresh berries are crammed with nutrients and antioxidants and are a delicious way to add fiber to your diet. Chef Joe Cash notes that, when shopping for berries, he looks for a "rich color all around without any bruising, [as] bruising and mold are key signs that [berries] are past their prime." On top of this, the skins should look shiny, and softer berries, like raspberries and blackberries, should hold their shape. Any signs of disintegration suggest that the berries are overripe and will be mushy and unpleasant.

If strawberries are still pale green around the tips or stalks, they are usually underripe and may be too firm and crunchy. Underripe blueberries also have a pale or pinkish color instead of the deep, indigo hue that signals freshness, while underripe blackberries have a reddish tone.

Avoid buying berries out of season as imported berries lose much of their freshness and nutrition during transportation. Most berries are summer fruits, with strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries coming into season between June and early September and blackberries going out of season in October. Fresh berries also work well in tons of tasty summer desserts, such as raspberry cheesecake or a pancake-topped blueberry cobbler — one of the best uses for pancake mix beyond breakfast.

While salad greens are extremely nutritious — providing us with a good source of iron, vitamin K, and vitamin C – they can also be high risk for bacterial growth and foodborne disease. One reason for this is that salad greens are often grown near livestock fields, meaning that the soil can become contaminated with bacteria such as listeria and E.coli, which can cause severe food poisoning. The longer salad sits on shelves, the more time bacteria have to grow, creating produce that can be dangerous to eat.

Mitzi D. Baum explains that bags containing mushy, wilted, or discolored salad greens should definitely be avoided. She also notes that "whole heads of lettuce may be safer than pre-packaged salads because their inner leaves are less exposed to sources of contamination and are handled less than bagged greens, reducing the opportunities for contamination." Whole lettuce heads will usually last longer in the fridge, too, as just a few soggy salad leaves in a pack can quickly turn the whole bag. If you want to avoid some common food safety mistakes that could ruin a summer BBQ, opt for the greenest salad leaves and wash them thoroughly before preparing.

When choosing a melon at the grocery store, Melanie Marcus suggests you "avoid melons with soft spots or a musty smell, which indicates they may be past their prime." Instead, look for melon varieties — like honeydew, watermelon, and cantaloupes — that have a sweetish smell around the stalk. This area should also have a slight give when you push it with your thumb and should feel heavy, as a light melon suggests there is not much juice inside.

Color can be a helpful factor when picking the perfect melon. An unripe cantaloupe will have a green tinge underneath the beige, netted rind — a yellow skin means it's ripe. For honeydew melons, it's really important to select a ripe fruit as these melons do not continue to ripen once they've been picked. Look for honeydew melons with a creamy, yellow rind, slightly sticky texture, and a sweet aroma.

Peaches are a staple summertime fruit, with a season that runs from May to September and the best crop generally coming through in July and August. These sweet and juicy stone fruits are delicious to eat whole or can be used in pies, crumbles, and cobblers. Peaches are also one of the summer fruits you should cook on the grill, along with watermelon, to give a charred, caramelized flavor and create an amazingly refreshing summer dessert.

Before you can start cooking, you've got to select the right peaches first. Ripe peaches burst with juice and honey-sweet flavors, but unripe peaches can be hard, mushy, and sour. Brianna Shales advises shoppers to "avoid peaches with excessive shriveled skin, as this is a sign of dehydration and may lead to an unpleasant texture." Shales also suggests smelling peaches for a strong, sugary aroma before you add them to your cart. She adds, "Size also makes a difference when it comes to sugar levels and flavors in peaches, so look for medium to large-sized peaches to take home whenever possible."

Root vegetables, such as beets, carrots, potatoes, and onions, should be stored in dry, cool environments to prevent mold build-up on the skin and stop any deterioration. Chef Joe Cash notes that "root vegetables should feel solid — if they are soft or have any moisture to them, they aren't the ones."

If you see root vegetables, like onions, stacked up loose in the store and notice liquid leaking out of them, you should avoid them as this is a sign of improper storage. Bad onions may also produce a strong smell or start to sprout green shoots — although onions with green shoots on their own, without any other signs of rot, can still be safe to use. You can also eat potatoes that have started to sprout, so long as you cut off any green shoots and the rest of the potato is still firm and is not shriveled or discolored.

Carrots are particularly prone to going bad if they're stored inside plastic packaging at a temperature that is too high. Rotten carrots will feel slimy, produce moisture, and start to turn soft and rubbery.

Brianna Shales states, "Softer or wrinkled cherries are indicative of a break in the cold chain for this highly perishable fruit." The cold chain refers to the temperature control procedure at all stages of the produce supply chain, from the field to the shelves. For fruits with a shorter shelf-life, like cherries, it's vital that they are kept cool throughout transportation and when they are displayed on grocery store shelves. If it feels too warm in the produce section and the cherries are starting to lose firmness in their skin, it's a sign that they are starting to turn.

Shales adds that to enjoy the freshest cherries, select ones with shiny, taut skins and a rich, deep color. Size is also important — ripe cherries should be large and substantial looking with a firm texture. Cherries are a great source of vitamin C and potassium. The also contain anti-inflammatory polyphenols and antioxidants.

Green veggies are a healthy side you can enjoy with any meal, and there are a ton of different types on offer. Snappy green beans and asparagus shoots are delicious cooked in butter, while cruciferous greens, like broccoli and cabbage, can be fried, boiled, or tossed in a soup. While not as high-risk as salad greens — given that most green vegetables are cooked before consumption — Mitzi D. Baum still urges caution when shopping as green vegetables can carry invisible pathogens that cause foodborne illness.

Baum adds, "if you see any visible mold or mushy, discolored spots, [you should] avoid that produce." Baum also strongly urges shoppers to thoroughly wash their green vegetables at home before preparation. You shouldn't keep green vegetables in the fridge for too long, especially if they start shrinking, smelling, or changing color. Fresh broccoli can last in the fridge for around three to five days, while green beans can last up to 10 days in the fridge.

Melanie Marcus says that, when shopping for mushrooms, you should "avoid any that appear slimy, wrinkled, or have dark spots [and purchase mushrooms] whole instead of pre-sliced, as quality will diminish quicker once they are processed." Mushrooms properly displayed in the grocery store should also have an earthy smell rather than a fishy or moldy odor. If you notice any signs of mold growth, this is a huge red flag and suggests the produce is much too old to be on shelves.

Correct storage at home is also important to keep your mushrooms fresh. So, how do you properly store mushrooms in the refrigerator to make the most of their shelf life? Transferring your mushrooms to a paper bag — instead of a plastic container — and putting them straight in the fridge should prevent moisture and condensation from building up on the skin. This, in turn, will help protect against mold or spoilage and help you keep mushrooms fresh for longer.

When choosing citrus fruits in the store, Chef Joe Cash recommends focusing on color. He notes that "you can tell a lot from the look, [for example] a green or yellow orange just isn't going to be as well developed as one with a deep orange color." Pale green lemons usually indicate that the fruits have not fully matured. Lemons ripen better on the branch, so you shouldn't buy green lemons at the store hoping to ripen them at home.

Limes, meanwhile, are picked while green and turn yellow once they start to fully ripen. A yellow or very light green lime is usually a sign that it is older and will have a sweeter, juicer taste instead of the tart, sour zing.

If you notice that citrus fruits feel mushy or have soft spots when squeezed, they are past their best. Old citrus fruits also won't give off much of an aroma — a telltale sign they are on the way out and may have dried up inside.

Melanie Marcus explains that you can usually tell a bad bunch of grapes just by inspecting them before you buy. She warns you should "watch out for any that are wrinkled, discolored, or show signs of mold" and that the freshest grapes will adhere tightly to their stems. If you pick up a box of grapes and notice lots rolling around in the tub rather than clinging to the stem, it's best to choose something else.

Like berries, fresh grapes should have a deep, shiny luster and may be covered in a light mist, known as a bloom. This bloom is not a sign that grapes are bad; it occurs naturally and helps the grapes stay fresh by preserving moisture. To keep your bunch fresh at home, you should always store grapes on the stems in the refrigerator and only rinse off the bloom when you are ready to eat them, not before.

Avocados can be a bit temperamental, and finding one that's perfectly ripe can feel like a lottery. Chef Joe Cash highly recommends squeezing avocados before adding them to your basket. According to Cash, avocados "should be firm with a slight give when you squeeze [them] — too hard or too soft is just going to be a disappointment."

If avocados feel hard when squeezed, the flesh will usually be firm and crunchy and will have a soapy, bland flavor instead of a nice, creamy taste. An unripe avocado will also have green, shiny skin instead of an almost black color.

An avocado past its prime may feel extremely soft and mushy, almost like the flesh inside is peeling away from the skin. Avocados that smell slightly sour are also best avoided. Buying an overripe avocado is generally worse than buying an underripe one. While overripe avocados are often discolored or rotten inside, underripe avocados can ripen at home, especially if you store them in a paper bag along with some bananas as the ethylene gas produced by bananas helps speed up the maturation process.

Brianna Shales says firmness is the best sign of freshness when shopping for apples. Firm apples will likely give you the best taste experience, while apples that feel soft when pressed or that have obvious bruising will often have a mushy texture and duller flavor. Shales clarifies that soft apples are not necessarily bad for you to eat. However, they are not the best to eat raw. Slightly mushy apples can still be used for cooking or making apple sauces.

Harder fruits, like apples and pears, also have a longish shelf life, especially if stored in the refrigerator once fully ripened. Shales notes that "wrinkled skin, decay, or any openings to the flesh of the fruit should be avoided if you plan on keeping the fruit for a bit." Once apple or pear flesh is exposed to the air, without the protection of the skin, it will quickly oxidize and turn brown.

When it comes to tackling foodborne illness, Mitzi D. Baum notes that "cross-contamination is always a concern with food, especially if things that need to be cooked before eating (such as meat) are put into contact with food that isn't being cooked." This makes cross-contamination a risk for fresh fruits that are eaten raw and for vegetables that are commonly consumed in salads or smoothies, such as leafy greens, spinach, or capsicum.

Avoiding cross-contamination is a multi-step process, and proper food hygiene procedures must be upheld by the producers, transporters, grocery store management, and consumers once the food is taken home. While you can't know that the early stages of this food hygiene journey have been adhered to, you can watch out for red flags when shopping and avoid any fresh produce that is carelessly stored alongside meat or fish. Even if meat is stored in packaging near fresh produce, small breaks in the plastic can lead meat juices to spill onto fruit and veg, potentially causing a food hygiene disaster.

In addition to the risk from contaminated produce, poorly controlled temperatures in food storage and display areas can be a massive hazard to your health. Bacteria grows best in warm environments, so produce that sits out in the heat and is then consumed raw can be a major risk for foodborne disease. Melanie Marcus observes that both "too cold or too warm temperatures can cause spoilage or wilting. For example, leafy greens stored at room temperature or produce displayed in direct sunlight are warning signs to shop with caution or avoid this particular store entirely."

Mitzi D. Baum also cautions against buying produce from an "area with poorly controlled temperature [as it is] an indication that it will spoil faster." If it feels unusually warm in the produce aisle, it's generally a sign that something is wrong with the temperature control system. This means much of the produce might already have lost shelf life or is generally improperly stored.