Store school produce according to its temperature needs, keep it covered and protected from contamination, and wash it just before preparation. USDA school guidance recommends refrigerators at 41°F or below; FDA consumer guidance says perishable fresh produce should be kept at 40°F or below. These are distinct recommendations, not a substitute for the food code adopted by your jurisdiction or your district’s food-safety procedures.
1. Inspect produce when it arrives
- Buy from reputable suppliers and check both the delivery vehicle and the condition of each shipment. Follow your district’s procedure for rejecting or managing damaged or decayed items.
- Read package labels and follow instructions such as “keep refrigerated” and any manufacturer date guidance.
- Purchase pre-cut, bagged, or packaged produce refrigerated or surrounded by ice. FDA guidance says all pre-cut or packaged produce should be refrigerated.
See FDA’s produce selection and serving guidance and USDA’s best practices for handling fresh produce in schools.
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2. Put each item in an appropriate storage area
Refrigerated produce
USDA’s school-produce guidance says refrigerators should be maintained at 41°F or below. Separately, FDA’s consumer guidance recommends keeping perishable fresh produce in a clean refrigerator at 40°F or below and checking the temperature with a refrigerator thermometer. Use the monitoring and correction steps in your district’s food-safety plan, and follow your jurisdiction’s adopted requirements.
Dry storage and produce placement
USDA identifies bananas, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and dry onions as items for dry storage at 60°F–70°F. These examples do not cover every fruit or vegetable: store other produce at the temperature appropriate to its variety and ripeness. USDA also notes that fruit generally produces ethylene, which can speed deterioration in many vegetables and some fruits; place ethylene-producing items away from sensitive produce where space and operations allow.
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For all storage areas, USDA school guidance recommends keeping produce covered, at least six inches off the floor—including in walk-in coolers—and above products that could contaminate it. Use clean, suitable food-service containers and shelving as part of that arrangement.
USDA storage recommendations are available in Storing Fresh Produce, updated June 3, 2024, and its school handling guidance.
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3. Wash produce just before preparation
USDA advises washing produce just before preparation, rather than before storage. Rinse it under running water; FDA says not to use soap, detergent, or commercial produce wash. FDA also recommends drying produce with a clean towel and washing it even when the peel will not be eaten. Do not rewash packaged produce labeled ready-to-eat, washed, or triple-washed.
Wash hands, utensils, equipment, and food-contact surfaces as part of preparation. Keep produce intended to be eaten raw separate from raw meat, poultry, and seafood, including their utensils. FDA recommends using separate cutting boards where possible. Washing reduces risk but is not a kill step: FDA states, “Washing can reduce bacteria that may be present but will not eliminate it.”
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Sources: USDA school produce practices and FDA produce safety guidance.
4. Control cut produce and service
Cut leafy greens and date marking
FDA’s July 7, 2010 manual summarizes the 2009 Food Code framework for cut leafy greens: receive, store, and display them at 41°F or below. It describes a seven-day discard limit for leafy greens cut in-house or removed from a commercial package, with date marking unless held less than 24 hours. This is not automatically the current legal rule everywhere: confirm your state or local jurisdiction’s adopted code and your district plan before applying those exact provisions. Do not extend the seven-day limit to every cut fruit or vegetable without checking applicable requirements.
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USDA advises schools to establish a date-marking policy for in-house cut produce. Consult the FDA cut-leafy-greens manual alongside local requirements.
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- Do not put produce in direct contact with ice or water on a service display.
- Do not add freshly prepared food on top of older food on a salad bar or self-service line.
- Keep cut produce under the applicable temperature controls and follow the district’s serving and discard procedures.
These service practices are included in USDA’s school guidance.
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5. Make the routine verifiable
A workable routine assigns staff responsibility for checking deliveries, storing each item in the right area, monitoring refrigerator temperatures, washing and preparing produce safely, and applying the district’s date-marking and rotation procedure to cut products. Use a refrigerator thermometer to verify cold storage, record checks as required by the district plan, and document corrective steps when a reading or product condition falls outside procedure. The applicable adopted food code and district plan govern the required records and response.
For child-nutrition program portion and food-component information—not storage temperatures—USDA’s Food Buying Guide provides separate fruit and vegetable resources.
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