Do You Need to Rinse Bagged Lettuce? It Depends

To rinse, or not to rinse?

Francesco Marzovillo/Getty Images

The first step of enjoyingany piece of produceis typicallywashing it off.

Or at least, rinsing it.

Photo:Francesco Marzovillo/Getty Images

Should you take the time to rinse off your bagged lettuce?

We looped in a registered dietitian to find out.

Should You Rinse Bagged Lettuce?

The decision, Wood notes, can come down to the packaging.

This will help to avoid cross-contamination."

To rinse lettuce effectively, follow the step-by-step instructions below:

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/washing-food-does-it-promote-food