{"id":8174,"date":"2026-04-24T06:06:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T13:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/news\/7624556\/how-you-store-produce-can-make-it-last-longer\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T10:15:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T17:15:29","slug":"how-you-store-produce-can-make-it-last-longer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/news\/8174\/how-you-store-produce-can-make-it-last-longer\/","title":{"rendered":"How you store produce can make it last longer"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few small changes to how you store fruits and vegetables can have big benefits for the planet<\/a> \u2013 and your wallet. <\/p>\n

From herbs that wilt in days to berries that seem to mold even faster, what we toss in the trash<\/a> often has less to do with what we buy than how we store it at home. <\/p>\n

A lot of that spoilage happens because of moisture and temperature. <\/p>\n

From a scientific perspective, produce doesn\u2019t just go bad \u2014 it breaks down under specific conditions. Plants, like humans, carry natural microflora, a diverse community of microscopic organisms.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis could be bacteria, yeast, molds, things like that,\u201d said Amanda Deering, associate professor of produce food safety at Purdue University.<\/p>\n

Here are a few small changes that can extend the life of food by days. <\/p>\n

Wait to wash<\/p>\n

Washing produce before storing it can leave water that bacteria, yeast and mold need to grow. <\/p>\n

Experts recommend waiting to wash fruits and vegetables until just before eating, and keeping them as dry as possible in the fridge meanwhile. Adding a paper towel can absorb dampness in containers of berries or leafy greens.<\/p>\n

Food experts also warn that cutting up fruits and vegetables before storing them can reduce their shelf life. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe big one is washing it and cutting it before storing it. This, of course, can leave a lot of excess moisture behind,\u201d said Abbey Sharp, registered dietitian. \u201cIt speeds up spoilage because you\u2019re cutting into those cell walls.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keep most produce cold and give it space<\/p>\n

At room temperature, microscopic organisms grow faster. Keeping food in the fridge can slow that process, Deering said, but how you pack your fridge also matters. Overcrowding it can block airflow and make it harder to keep temperatures consistent. <\/p>\n

Different foods have different needs. <\/p>\n

Herbs last longer when treated like flowers, trimmed and placed in water, while harder herbs can be wrapped in a damp towel and stored in the fridge. Root vegetables like carrots can be kept in water to maintain crispiness. Separating leafy tops can extend the shelf life of carrots and beets.<\/p>\n

Keep some kitchen staples apart<\/p>\n

Where you store produce can affect both how it tastes and how it lasts. The texture and flavor of tomatoes, for example, are best preserved at room temperature, even if refrigeration can slow their spoilage, said Deering. <\/p>\n

Whole garlic should be kept in a cool ventilated space, while cut or peeled garlic belongs in the fridge.<\/p>\n

Potatoes and onions are best stored outside the fridge in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place, like a pantry or cabinet, but they shouldn\u2019t be kept together.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to keep them away from one another because they actually can make each other spoil faster,\u201d said Sharp.<\/p>\n

Mixing fruits at different stages of ripeness also can shorten shelf lives. As fruits ripen, they release ethylene gas, a natural compound that speeds up the ripening process in nearby produce. So storing very ripe bananas next to greener ones or alongside other fruits can cause everything around them to ripen and spoil more quickly, Deering said.<\/p>\n

Know what spoiled actually looks like<\/p>\n

Confusion about what\u2019s actually safe to eat also drives food waste.<\/p>\n

The FDA estimates<\/a> that confusion over food labels accounts for about 20% of consumer food waste, as many people misinterpret the “purchase-by” dates as indicators of safety. Other food gets trashed when it doesn’t look perfect, according to Sharp, who notes that \u201ca little ugly is not the same as unsafe.\u201d <\/p>\n

When fruits and vegetables wilt, soften or become slightly discolored, they may not taste as fresh in certain recipes, but that doesn’t mean they’re spoiled. A limp carrot or a slightly soft celery stalk, for example, can still be safe to eat, especially when cooked, Sharp said. <\/p>\n

\u201cProduce that is like a little bit wilted or like a little soft or a little less crisp is often more a quality issue. It\u2019s not necessarily a food safety issue,\u201d said Sharp.<\/p>\n

Signals that food should be thrown away are more distinct, like visible mold, slime, leaking liquid or a strong unpleasant odor \u2014 clear indications that produce has broken down beyond the point of safe consumption, according to Sharp. <\/p>\n

Think of the impact outside your kitchen<\/p>\n

Throwing away food also discards the results of all the resources used to grow, transport and store it. But small habits can make a big difference, like buying what you need<\/a>, using items before they sit too long, and freezing produce like berries or bananas before it goes bad. <\/p>\n

\u201cHousehold food waste represents probably the largest portion of food waste when we look at it across the whole supply chain,\u201d said Pete Pearson, a vice president at World Wildlife Fund. <\/p>\n

And that waste also produces a potent greenhouse gas that harms the planet long after discarded food leaves the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen food enters landfills, it\u2019s essentially buried in a non-oxygen environment where it breaks down and creates bacteria and methane emissions,\u201d said Pearson. <\/p>\n

But because people interact with food every day, even small shifts can add up, depleting fewer resources across the broader food system.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s these small changes over millions and millions of people that can make a huge difference,\u201d said Pearson. <\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

The Associated Press\u2019 climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP\u2019s standards<\/a> for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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FILE – Asparagus stocks are displayed at a market Dec. 11, 2025, in Salem, N.H. (AP Photo\/Charles Krupa. File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A few small changes to how you store fruits and vegetables can have big benefits for the planet \u2013 and your wallet. From herbs that wilt in days to berries that seem to mold even faster, what we toss in the trash often has less to do with what we buy than how we store […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":8175,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"guid":"2b4d00e8-d128-4002-a278-76be10e53eb5","source":"The Associated Press","byline":"Aya Diab","published":"2026-04-24 06:06:28","updated":"2026-04-24 10:00:16","_infotelid":"","_prepressid":"","_multisite_post_sync":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1737,1738],"tags":[],"region":[1835],"class_list":["post-8174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","category-world","region-world"],"blocksy_meta":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/news\/8174\/how-you-store-produce-can-make-it-last-longer\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"How you store produce can make it last longer","url":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/news\/8174\/how-you-store-produce-can-make-it-last-longer\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/news\/8174\/how-you-store-produce-can-make-it-last-longer\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/inhome-1486478c2ed66c6f9e8630ab4c27ac059683b99fa90a42ffd82b3e419a6e9a5c.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/inhome-1486478c2ed66c6f9e8630ab4c27ac059683b99fa90a42ffd82b3e419a6e9a5c.jpg"},"articleSection":"International","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"The Associated Press"}],"creator":["The Associated Press"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"iNhome","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2026-04-24T13:06:28Z","datePublished":"2026-04-24T13:06:28Z","dateModified":"2026-04-24T17:15:29Z"},"rendered":"