How to Make Fruit Drinks | Wash, Prep, And Juice Safely

Fresh fruit drinks taste best when the fruit is handled right. The FDA’s guidance for safe juicing is simple: wash your hands, scrub the produce, cut away damaged spots, and keep everything clean. Skipping these steps invites bacteria into a drink you’re about to enjoy. This guide walks through the FDA’s recommended process, plus the rules that apply if you’re serving juice in a school, daycare, or other institutional setting.

Start With A Clean Workspace And Clean Hands

The FDA says to wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before and after preparing produce. That same 20-second rule applies to any surface and tool that touches the fruit — cutting boards, knives, and juicer parts included.

Lay out a clean towel for drying, and make sure your juicer or blender was washed after its last use. A clean start prevents cross-contamination before the fruit even hits the blade.

Washing And Trimming Fruit The Right Way

Sort through your fruit first. Discard anything rotten, and cut away bruised or damaged areas — bacteria thrive in those spots. Then wash every piece under running water, even if you plan to peel it. The FDA specifically warns against using soap, detergent, or commercial produce washes; running water is all you need.

Firm produce like apples and pears should be scrubbed with a clean produce brush. After washing, dry the fruit with a clean cloth or paper towel, which helps reduce surface bacteria. Once the fruit is dry, trim, peel, and juice it as usual.

One caveat the FDA makes clear: washing reduces surface bacteria but does not make untreated juice safe. For home use, freshly made juice is best consumed right away. If you’re producing juice for sale, treatment is the safety control that matters (more on that below).

Juice Safety Rules For Commercial And Institutional Use

If your fruit drinks are headed anywhere beyond your own kitchen — a farmers market stall, a restaurant, or a school cafeteria — FDA rules apply. The FDA’s Juice HACCP regulation covers any juice sold as juice, plus juice used as an ingredient in beverages. Even a drink that’s only 10 percent juice must have that juice component produced under Juice HACCP principles.

The core requirement is a 5-log pathogen reduction, meaning at least a 100,000-fold decrease in microorganisms. Pasteurization is the common way to hit this standard, though the FDA allows other validated methods. Untreated juice is legal to sell in the U.S., but it must carry a warning label, and it’s typically found in the refrigerated section. Consumers should look for that label and ask whether a product is treated if they’re unsure.

What counts as juice for USDA meal programs: Schools and childcare centers follow USDA Food Buying Guide rules, not just FDA rules. A drink only counts toward the fruits requirement if it’s 100 percent full-strength juice, or a fruit-and-vegetable blend where fruit is the largest ingredient. Diluted juice and unreconstituted concentrate don’t qualify. Schools can serve juice for up to half of the weekly fruits requirement, while CACFP programs (daycares and similar) are limited to one serving of pasteurized full-strength juice per day, including snacks.

If you’re juicing for a home kitchen, these institutional rules don’t apply — but the washing and trimming steps absolutely do. Handle fruit the same careful way whether you’re making one glass or fifty.

Looking to expand your drink menu beyond fresh juice? Browse our roundup of drinks with authentic fruit flavor for ready-made options that earn their keep.

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