Buying fruit cut in half has become a common practice for consumers to save a little money; however, this habit, which seems harmless, could put your health at risk.
According to the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU), a non-profit association that informs and assists consumers, fruit previously cut and covered only with plastic can become a source of contamination that causes various diseases.
The organization explained that this is due to several reasons, including that, “after the fruits are cut, their pieces usually remain without refrigeration and together with other foods or boxes”.
The OCU explains that the main risk factor of buying cut fruit is that during contact with the fruit with the knife or the hands that handle it, they can be infected by external agents to which they would not be exposed if they were not cut.
Likewise, it is important to mention that cut fruits have a shorter shelf life and, as they are not refrigerated, pathogenic microorganisms can proliferate. such as Salmonella, verotoxigenic Escherichia coli or Listeria monocytogenes.
Lluís Riera, technical director and food technologist at the SAIA consultancy in Barcelona, explained that “the fruit has a natural protection, which is the skin, and the moment we open and cut it, we contaminate its pulp. That is where the proliferation of microorganisms that can poison us begins.”
Given these risks, the OCU recommended that the markets and supermarkets take extreme hygiene measures during the handling of the fruits, in order to avoid any risk to the health of consumers. It is important to mention that, unlike meat, fish, legumes and carbohydrates, fruits are not cooked before consumption. This is the only procedure that allows pathogens to be eliminated once they have contaminated the food, but it cannot be done with fruits for immediate consumption, so it is recommended to wash them very well before consumption.
- Salmonella: is a genus of bacteria that are a common cause of foodborne illness. This bacterium can be found in contaminated meats, eggs, fruits and vegetables and, in fact, they are present in the intestinal tract of many animals and are expelled through feces.
- La shigelosis: It is an acute intestinal infection caused by gram-negative microorganisms. Its symptoms are fever, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, which is usually bloody. This mild infection can be treated with rehydration and antibiotics.
- Trichinosis: This infection causes symptoms such as gastrointestinal irritation, muscle pain, fever, and eosinophilia. Humans become infected with this bacterium by eating raw, undercooked, or underprocessed meat from infected animals, especially pigs, wild boars, or bears. The larvae emerge from their cysts in the small intestine, penetrate the mucosa, and transform into adults in six to eight days. During the first week, the patient may experience nausea, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea. After two weeks, The infection begins with systemic signs and symptoms, such as facial or periorbital edema, myalgia, persistent fever, headache, and subconjunctival hemorrhages and petechiae. Eye pain and photophobia often precede the onset of myalgia.
According to the Pan American Health Organization, food poisoning occurs when toxins produced by bacteria or molds are present in ingested food or chemical elements in amounts that affect health: “The toxins generally have no odor or taste and are capable of causing disease even after elimination of the microorganisms.”