Produce is a generalized term for many

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...

-produced

crop A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydropo ...

s, including

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...

s and

vegetable Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems ...

s ( grains,

oats The oat (''Avena sativa''), sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural, unlike other cereals and pseudocereals). While oats are suitable for human co ...

, etc. are also sometimes considered ''produce''). More specifically, the term ''produce'' often implies that the products are fresh and generally in the same state as where and when they were

harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most lab ...

ed. In

supermarket A supermarket is a self-service shop offering a wide variety of food, beverages and household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earlier grocery stores, but is smaller and more lim ...

s, the term is also used to refer to the section of the store where fruit and vegetables are kept. ''Produce'' is the main product sold by

greengrocer A greengrocer is a person who owns or operates a shop selling primarily fruit and vegetables. The term may also be used to refer to a shop selling primarily produce. It is used predominantly in the United Kingdom and Australia. In the Unite ...

s (UK, Australia) and farmers' markets. The term is widely and commonly used in the U.S. and Canada, but is not typically used outside the agricultural sector in other

English-speaking countries The following is a list of English-speaking population by country, including information on both native speakers and second-language speakers. List * The European Union is a supranational union composed of 27 member states. The total ...

. In parts of the world, including the U.S., produce is marked with small

sticker A sticker is a type of label: a piece of printed paper, plastic, vinyl, or other material with temporary or permanent pressure sensitive adhesive on one side. It can be used for decoration or for functional purposes, depending on the situati ...

s bearing price look-up codes. These four- or five-

digit Digit may refer to: Mathematics and science * Numerical digit, as used in mathematics or computer science ** Hindu-Arabic numerals, the most common modern representation of numerical digits * Digit (anatomy), the most distal part of a limb, such ...

codes are a

standardized Standardization or standardisation is the process of implementing and developing technical standards based on the consensus of different parties that include firms, users, interest groups, standards organizations and governments. Standardization ...

system intended to aid checkout and inventory control at places where produce is sold.

Storage

Vegetables are optimally stored between 0° and 4.4° Celsius (32° and 40 °F) to reduce respiration. Generally, vegetables should be stored at a high humidity (80 and 95 percent relative humidity), but cucurbits (squash family) and onions prefer dry and can mold when moisture is high.

Bacterial contamination

Raw sprouts are among the produce most at risk of bacterial infection. Rinsing is an effective way to reduce the bacteria count on produce, reducing it to about 10 percent of its previous level. Wastewater used on vegetables can be a source of contamination, due to contamination with fecal matter, salmonella or other bacteria. After Denmark eliminated salmonella in its chickens, attention has turned to vegetables as a source of illness due to feces contamination from other animal sources, such as pigs.

References

External links

{{Authority control Crops Food retailing Edible fruits Vegetables

Storage

Bacterial contamination

See also

Notable people

References

Further reading

External links