Help Keep your Family Healthy by:

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1 Fresh fruits and vegetables are an important source of a healthy diet; which should be regarded as a necessity in a daily diet. We recommend a person should consume around 4 to 10 servings and that of course depending on their age. Consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables is known to help lower the risk of some chronic diseases, including some types of cancer as well. Fresh fruits and vegetables are often linked to foodborne illnesses, such diseases occur simultaneously as a result of the products NOT being processed, handled, nor consumed in a proper way. On our part we care, therefore we recommend consumers to take extra care on your part in order to prevent any contaminations and related diseases. Help Keep your Family Healthy by: Washing Fresh Products: Fresh fruits and vegetables can occasionally become contaminated with different pathogens - harmful bacteria or viruses which can make individuals sick such contamination can occur at any point from harvest to the consumption stage. Such pathogens can be linked to the process of handling, washing and the cooking of the vegetables. We care most about your health therefore we handle and transport fruits and vegetables with high care practicing maximum sanitation measures to reduce the risk of any contamination. We would like to propose a number of steps that can be adopted with the intention of preventing any sort of infectivity by the consumer.

2 Make fresh fruits and vegetables safe to eat. How to wash: Wash Fruits and Vegetable Accurately!!!! Take extra care in cleaning the fruits and vegetables, your health is of great importance therefore ensure to wash the produce properly before consumption Method 1 Before eating fresh fruits and vegetables, always Soak vegetables in a salt and vinegar wash for 20 minutes to make sure NO bacteria remains on the skins. In the kitchen use one side of washing sink or a small tub if you have some vegetables for your meal and fill it with just enough warm water to cover them, then add 2 table spoon of table salt into 250ml of water and add ¼ cup of white vinegar. The vinegar cleans while the salt loosens deep debris. (remember wash only the amount of fruit and vegetable you are going to eat one time) Method 2 To create your vegetable wash, you will need 1 Tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon or grapefruit juice, 2 Tablespoons of white vinegar, 1 cup of water, and a small plastic spray bottle. Wash the bottle with hot, soapy water before and after using and rinse thoroughly, and spray the fruit and vegetable before to use. (Spray bottle must be washed and rinsed one day at least prior to using it). Method 3 To be safer, you can rinse produce with a sanitizer after washing and rinsing with water. You can use a commercially prepared vegetable/fruit sanitizer (tablets) or a dilute bleach solution. The solution can be made by adding one tea spoon (5 ml) of household bleach to one quart (1 liter) of water We recommended industrial food preparation companies to use the method 3 (Preferably). The house hold customer must make sure before using this method, that they are well aware of the health departments instructions in this regard and awareness training for the persons involved in the preparation of the food at the house, Otherwise use the other 2 methods stated above such as the dilute tablets, available in local market specially for this purpose.

3 More tips on washing: Washing helps remove germs, as well as traces of certain pesticides on the surface. The most important steps in minimizing the risk of contaminants are proper washing, good shakeup and a thorough rinse. Always wash your hands with soap and warm running water before you begin preparing any food, including fruits and vegetables. When buying and storing fruits and vegetables, always keep them separate from raw foods such as meat, poultry, seafood, and diary products. Juices from raw foods can be contaminated with germs that cause illness. When washing fruits and vegetables, cut away any damaged or bruised areas since harmful germs can grow there. Throw away any rotten fruits and vegetables. Always wash fruits and vegetables that have a rind before peeling or preparing them, such as pineapples, cantaloupe, oranges, melons and squash. Although the skin and outer surfaces protect them, germs can grow if the surface gets broken, pierced or cut, especially in melons and tomatoes. Wash and scrub fruits and vegetables that have firm, rough surfaces such as potatoes, using a clean scrub brush for produce. Always discard the outer leaves of leafy vegetables, such as lettuce, Iceberg and cabbage. The outer leaves are more likely to be contaminated with germs. In the kitchen, use one cutting board for fresh produce and use a separate one for raw meat, chicken or seafood. If you do not have two cutting boards, then be sure to wash your cutting board well with hot, soapy water after preparing any raw animal food and seafood. After rinsing the cutting board with water, sanitize it with a dilute bleach solution. Refrigerate fresh fruits and vegetables after peeling, cutting or cooking. Discard them if left at room temperature for two hours. Raw sprouted seed products, such as bean sprouts, radish sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, mongo beans and others, may carry germs that cause illness. Always cook these before eating because it is difficult to wash sprouted seeds.

4 *Special Considerations for People with Weak Immune Systems* People with weak immune systems should cook vegetables and wash fruits. If fruits and vegetables are eaten raw, it is critical to make sure that they are safe to eat and to follow the steps stated above always before consumption. People with weak or underdeveloped immune systems include: Elderly persons. People with cancer, kidney disease, and certain other chronic diseases. Those with autoimmune disorders, such as lupus. Those who have had surgery to remove the spleen. Those being treated with immune-suppressing medications. Children under 2 years of age. Pregnant women and their unborn or newborn babies. Those with a history of problematic use of alcohol or drugs. For More Information please keep in mind the following:- Wash your hands and cooking areas Wash your hands with hot, soapy water for 20 seconds before and after handling food, and after touching raw meat, changing a diaper, using the restroom, handling a pet or touching anything that could contaminate your hands. Then dry your hands with a paper towel or automatic hand dryer. Also wash and sanitize all countertops, cutting boards and utensils (including fruit/vegetable brushes) with a mixture of 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach in 1 quart of water (only recommended household bleach). Do this before and after preparing food. When washing fresh produce, it is also important to have a clean sink. Wash the sink with hot, soapy water and then rinse it. Sanitize the sink by pouring a mixture of 1 teaspoon of chlorine bleach in 1 quart of water into the sink. Wipe sink surfaces and drain. Wash the product Wash all whole fruits and vegetables before preparing them even if the skin or rind will not be eaten. This prevents pathogens from being transferred from the rind or skin to the inside of the fruit or vegetable when it is cut. To prevent spoilage and mold growth during storage, it is best to wash fresh fruits and vegetables immediately before preparing them. Wash all bagged produce, even if it looks fresh & clean.

5 Wash fruits and vegetables under clean, running water in a clean sink. Fresh fruits and vegetables should not be soaked in water for long period of time or whole quantity at once. Do not use detergent s soaps or bleach to wash produce unless recommended. These products may change the flavor color and taste and if amount of bleach added more than require quantity then it could be poisonous. If the fruits and vegetables are firm (such as potatoes or melons), scrub them with a clean, sanitized fruit/vegetable brush. For soft fruits and vegetables (tomatoes), gently rub them with your hands to loosen the dirt/dust. Also remove the outer leaves of lettuce, iceberg and cabbage. To wash berries, parsley and greens, put them in a clean strainer and spray them with a kitchen sink wash in running water follow 2 methods mentioned above. Be sure to turn and gently shake the strainer as you wash the produce. Remember: To help prevent any contamination, viral infection, store your fruits and vegetables properly and wash them thoroughly before consumption. While cooking may be the only way to ensure safety of the products, washing fresh products will help keep your family safe. **These are just efforts of awareness and tips for our valued customers and all clients to encourage them to take preventive measures to protect their health & safety, although it is neither our responsibility nor our legal obligation.