Report of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) on the conservation conditions of halved fruits in retail establishments

Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, provides that food business operators are primarily responsible for food safety. In addition, it stipulates that food that cannot be stored safely at room temperatures shall maintain a cold chain and temperature requirements should be established based on a scientific risk assessment. However, limited periods outside temperature control are permitted, to accommodate the practicalities of handling, provided that it does not result in a risk to health. Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs lays down certain safety and hygiene criteria for pre-cut fruit and vegetables. However, European legislation does not lay down specific storage temperature conditions for these pre-cut fruit and vegetables. In this regard, the obligation to refrigerate may present practical difficulties in the case of bulky fruit such as melon, watermelon, pineapple, and papaya. The Scientific Committee has assessed whether it is possible to keep these bulky fruits halved in retail establishments at ambient temperature for a limited period, ensuring consumer safety. To this end, factors associated with the presence and growth of biological hazards, as well as published studies on pathogen prevalence, alerts and outbreaks of foodborne diseases, challenge studies and studies based on predictive microbiology models have been reviewed for each of the four fruits. Based on the available information, it is concluded that halved melon, watermelon, pineapple, and papaya stored at room temperature may pose a health risk because the physico-chemical conditions are compatible with the growth of foodborne pathogens, such as Salmonella spp., verotoxigenic Escherichia coli or Listeria monocytogenes. Melon, water- melon and papaya tolerate the growth of pathogens, while pineapple does not allow such growth, mainly due to lower pH levels. Despite the above, the storage of halved fruit at ambient temperature for short periods does not seem to have a significant influence on the development of foodborne pathogens, provided that it is accompanied by immediate subsequent cooling and that the product is consumed in a sufficiently short time. Therefore, temperatures <25°C can be accepted for a time of <3 hours in a sufficiently ventilated and preserved of sunlight place, followed by continuous refrigeration storage at temperatures <5°C (in the case of pineapple, such conditions could be re-evaluated). It is also recommended that fruits with an excessive degree of maturity, or with wounds or clefts on their surface, should be excluded for cutting. Finally, it is recommended that establishments in the sector follow scrupulous hygienic practices, monitor exposure and storage conditions and put in place the necessary measures to prevent possible cross-contamination.