Do You Need To Wash Pre-Washed Lettuce?

Should you wash pre-washed lettuce and greens? - package of pre-washed mixed greens; mixed greens on a plate

Even if you’re not a stickler for food safety, I would guess most of us at least wash fresh fruits and vegetables before cutting into them. I used to assume that was a good practice for most foods, but after writing about the hazards of rinsing raw chicken recently, I figured I should do some more research into similar topics, starting with pre-washed lettuce and greens.

We all want to ensure our food is clean and healthy, so you may wonder whether pre-washed lettuce and triple-washed greens are truly safe to eat just as they are. So I dusted off my reporter hat to get to the bottom of things, and my investigation turned up some important answers that I’ll be sharing with you in this post.

Should you wash pre-washed lettuce and greens? - bag of salad, finger pointed to

Should I Wash Pre-Washed Lettuce?

In short: no!

According to the CDC, pre-washed lettuce and greens are safe to consume right out of the package. Not only is the process of commercial pre-washing quite safe, but the facilities themselves are held to strict standards of cleanliness and sanitization. (Apparently, it’s easy to contaminate pre-washed greens by attempting to wash them at home!)

Pre-washed leafy greens — including lettuce, bagged salad, spring mix, kale, and other greens — are indicated as such somewhere on the packaging. If the package includes one of these descriptors, you can safely assume it doesn’t need to be washed or rinsed:

Ready-to-eat
Triple washed
No washing necessary

Should you wash pre-washed lettuce and greens? Rinsing a head of romaine under running water

Should I Wash Lettuce That Isn’t Pre-Washed?

In short: yes.

Any leafy greens that have not been pre-washed or aren’t labeled as such should be rinsed under running water before you eat them. There’s no need to use any additional cleaners or detergents (especially not bleach; you should never use bleach to wash produce!)

Rinsing under running water is safer than soaking because the latter can introduce bacteria if your tools and equipment aren’t clean.

4 Essential Food Safety Tips

When preparing food in your own kitchen, following these 4 tips can help prevent foodborne illness:

Wash your hands thoroughly for 20 seconds with soap and warm water before handling food, and rewash them as needed to prevent cross contamination.
Wash your cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops with soap and hot water after preparing raw meat, poultry, or seafood, and after preparing produce you’re not planning to cook.
If possible, use two separate cutting boards: one for fresh produce, and one for raw meat, poultry, and seafood.
After using plastic and other non-porous cutting boards, wash them in your dishwasher.

Should you wash pre-washed lettuce and greens? Closeup of hands being washed with soap and running water

BONUS: Know The Signs Of Foodborne Illness

The symptoms of foodborne illness can include:

Vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain
Flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, and body aches

If you think that you or a family member has a foodborne illness, contact your primary care provider immediately. You can learn more about how to handle and prepare produce safely at FDA.gov.

I hope this information is as useful to you as it has been to me. Plus, I don’t know about you, but I’m always pleased when I learn I can do away with any chore, no matter how small — even washing bagged greens!

What’s your favorite way to use pre-washed lettuce or greens?