Packed fruits – are they clean?

Fruit sellers have now adopted a marketing strategy of selling sliced and ready-to-eat fruits to the public.

But have we considered the health challenges that may be associated with the practice of selling already-prepared fruits on the market, be it sliced pawpaw, mango, watermelon or pineapple? 

Due to our busy schedules, we are always on the run and thus end up purchasing these fruits to eat instantly without thinking about how hygienic they may be or otherwise.

It is convenient to eat your sliced mango as you sit by your computer and work; in a car as you drive and at the market as you sell your goods. You do that without knowing the processes the seller went through to make the fruit available to you.

I had the opportunity to witness the process through which some sellers prepared fruits for sale to consumers. I must confess that it was an eyesore. 

There were a lot of watermelons on the ground with a basin full of water by them. Each seller picked her melons, washed them in the basin and then started cutting them into different sizes.

One of the sellers had a cut on her hand as she was cutting a melon. She quickly stopped cutting, took some of the water in the basin to wash the blood off, tied the hand with a piece cloth and went back to continue cutting. 

One can imagine the colour of the water after 15 to 20 melons had been washed in it, not to talk about the dirty environment in which the fruits were processed. 

Fruits are not cooked before consumption and thus the least mistake we make in their preparation, we may contaminate them and compromise our health.

Fruits are nature’s wonderful gift to mankind. Indeed, they are packed with vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and many phyto-nutrients. They provide fibre that helps to keep the digestive system free from constipation. They are low in calories and fat and reduce the incidence of diseases like high blood pressure, heart diseases and some cancers.

Considerably, fruits should be washed thoroughly with clean water to remove dirt and also dipped into salt water to remove any germs before they are consumed. Processed fruits may be packaged in attractive containers and poly bags but we should not purchase them just by the way they are presented.

The health authorities in the various Assemblies should ensure that food, including fruits sold to the public is prepared under hygienic conditions.

To live in good health is a duty that we must all take seriously in order to keep our bodies in shape and our minds sharp and clear. 

Remember, it is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.