Fruit and Vegetable Storage Tips

The food items we waste the most are fresh fruits and vegetables — often because we buy more than we can eat or store them in ways that speed up spoilage. Proper storage is one of the easiest and most effective ways to make your food last longer, reduce waste, and save money while you're at it!

  • Use separate crisper drawers — Keep fruits and vegetables in different refrigerator drawers. Most fridges have adjustable humidity settings on the crispers — use higher humidity for vegetables and lower humidity for fruits.
  • Separate ripening fruits from other produce — Fruits like apples, bananas, tomatoes, and avocados release ethylene gas as they ripen, which causes nearby produce to spoil faster. Keep these apart from other fruits and vegetables. Tomatoes do best at room temperature, while bananas can be separated from the bunch to slow ripening.
  • Choose produce that freezes well — Berries, peppers, greens (for cooking), bananas, and stone fruits all freeze well. If you won't use them in time, freeze them now rather than letting them go to waste.
  • Wash berries only before eating — Store berries unwashed and dry in the refrigerator (remove any already bruised or moldy fruits), and rinse them right before you're ready to eat. Introducing unnecessary moisture ahead of time leads to premature molding.
  • Repurpose produce before it's too late — Softening fruits and wilting vegetables are still perfectly good for cooking. Turn them into soups, sauces, smoothies, stir-fries, or baked goods before they go bad.

Food Storage Resources

Image of raspberries in a jar lined with a paper towel. Ad copy reads Fresh! Keep your food fresher, longer.

Food Storage Guide

Learn which fruits and vegetables stay fresh longer inside or outside the fridge with this storage guide. Post the guide on your fridge for quick reference.
Image of postcards

Seasonal Produce Postcards

Berkeley Food Network and StopWaste have collaborated on a series of postcards showing commonly distributed seasonal produce with tips on how to store, cook, and preserve it to prolong its freshness and nutritional value.

Organize Your Refrigerator

Where you place food in your fridge matters. In general:

  • Upper shelves — Ready-to-eat foods, leftovers, drinks
  • Lower shelves — Raw meat, poultry, and fish (to prevent drips from contaminating other foods), eggs and dairy (temps here are most consistent vs. the fridge door)
  • Crisper drawers — Fruits and vegetables (separated if possible)
  • Door shelves — Condiments, juice, and other items that are less sensitive to temperature changes

Organize by expiration date:

Place an "Eat This First" sign inside your fridge and/or pantry to designate an area for foods that need to be eaten soon.For example, place the sign on a small tray in the fridge that can hold the conatiner of yesterday's leftovers, half a jar of tomato sauce, and yogurt that is nearing its end. Make this the designated tray where anyone can move food items that need to be eaten ASAP to avoid these items getting pushed to the back of the fridge and forgotten.

Food Organization Resources

Image of a refrigerator

The Refrigerator Demystified

Use this guide for a visual breakdown of how to organize your fridge for maximum freshness and minimum waste. Stocking your fridge with these tips will help your food stay fresh the longest.
Image of a bag of oranges and bin of olives in the refrigerator.

Fridge Reality Check

Wasting Money on Wasted Food? Do a Fridge Reality Check to find out! In just a few minutes, our handy step-by-step guide will show you just how much food is going uneaten in your fridge every week, and also provides customized tips & tools to save money by reducing wasted food at home!
Sign that says "Eat This First"

Eat This First Sign

Place this sign inside your fridge or pantry to designate an area for foods that need to be eaten soon.

Understanding Date Labels

Date labels on food packaging can be confusing — but most of them indicate quality, not safety. Before throwing out food based on a date, learn what those labels really mean on our Date Labels page.

Check Freshness

Not sure if something is still good? Visit StillTasty.com for a comprehensive guide to shelf life and storage recommendations for thousands of food items. You can also try the USDA FoodKeeper App for storage times and food safety information.