By: Tony Flood   Date: 9/16/11

This month U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack unveiled the first themed message “Make Half Your Plate Fruits and Vegetables” to promote the 2010 Dietary Guidelines and MyPlate icon.  But I have an additional important piece to add – and that’s food safety.   During this crucial time of a listeria outbreak from cantaloupes, it’s extremely important that all foods including fruits and vegetables are properly handled to reduce the risk of any potential contamination.

In this case, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration “is warning consumers not to eat Rocky Ford Cantaloupe shipped by Jensen Farms of Granada, Colo. The majority of the patients reported eating cantaloupe marketed from the Rocky Ford growing region.” 

This is the first time listeriosis has been linked to whole cantaloupe.  Listeria is most common to deli meats, hot dogs, and Mexican-style soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk.  Symptoms can be flu-like and in rare cases, listeriosis can be fatal for older adults, people with compromised immune systems and certain chronic medical conditions (such as cancer), and unborn babies and newborns.  They can be mild and may take days even weeks to appear.  For more information about symptoms and treatment see Consumer’s Guide to Food Safety.

Here’s what you can do to reduce the risk of foodborne illness from fruits and vegetables for a more healthful plate.
1) Carefully select the produce you choose to buy such as purchase produce that is not bruised or damaged
2) Store produce properly to enhance safety and quality
3) And always begin handling produce with clean hands

When it comes to netted melons like cantaloupe, here are a few practical tips you should practice to ensure they are safe to eat.
• Wash hands with hot, soapy water before and after handling fresh cantaloupes.
• Scrub whole cantaloupes by using a clean produce brush and cool tap water immediately before eating. If you use soap or detergents, be sure to rinse the melon well before slicing.
• Use clean cutting surfaces and utensils when cutting cantaloupes. Wash cutting boards, countertops, dishes, and utensils with hot water and soap between the preparation of raw meat, poultry, or seafood and the preparation of cantaloupe.
• If there happens to be a bruised or damaged area on a cantaloupe, cut away those parts before eating it.
• Leftover cut cantaloupe should be discarded if left at room temperature for more than two hours.
• Use a cooler with ice or use ice gel packs when transporting or storing cantaloupes outdoors. Sliced or cut melon should never be out of refrigeration for more than 2 hours, 1 hour when it's above 90 °F. 

Fruits and vegetables deserve a place on your plate as healthful foods that are “good for you.” It’s easy to list all of the great things about them from being natural sources of vitamins and nutrients to helping to promote health to tasting delicious.  As a National Strategic Partner with USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP), we are glad to join the hundreds of community partners (let’s do lowercase to use the term generally) to help spread the word about healthful eating.  In addition, our ongoing commitment to food safety education encourages everyone to make half your plate fruits and vegetables -- that are safe to eat.