Fruits and vegetables are essential for a healthy diet. Nutritious produce can be purchased at your local grocery store or farmers market, or even grown in your backyard. While produce is usually safe, it can become contaminated throughout the farm-to-fork continuum with harmful microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites, that can cause illness (pathogens). A foodborne illness, often referred to as “food poisoning,” can occur through consumption of contaminated foods.