Eating fruits with worms: Safe or a health risk?

In the summer, we eagerly reach for fruits. We have plenty to choose from strawberries, raspberries, plums, cherries, apples, and peaches. However, sometimes, we can encounter an unpleasant surprise in the form of a worm. Such a discovery can quickly spoil our appetite if we notice it in time. Can eating fruit with worms harm us?

Vegetables and fruits are essential components of a balanced diet. They work well both as snacks and standalone meals. In the summer, we can choose from a wide range of fruits. The most important thing is always to select those from a reliable source and wash them before eating.

It is also worth inspecting the fruits closely to see if they have spots, holes, or other damage. If we don't find any, we can be almost sure that they are free from unwelcome guests.

However, even thorough washing may not be enough to eliminate worms in fruit. We most often eat them in plums, cherries, and sweet cherries because we do not always look inside these fruits before eating them.

Many have wondered if eating fruit with worms is safe for our health. It turns out that it is safer than eating mouldy fruit.

As "Gazeta Pomorska" points out, worms in fruits do not cause illness, nor do their larvae. Eating fruit with worms should not even result in any digestive issues.

Eating "wormy" sweet cherries, which contain the white larvae of the cherry fruit fly (Rhagoletis cerasi), is generally possible. Consuming such fruits will not cause digestive symptoms, let alone food poisoning, points out Radosław Bogusz, an engineer from the Department of Food Engineering and Production Organization at the Institute of Food Sciences, SGGW, in an interview with the portal haps.pl.

Rotting fruits pose much more severe threats to our health. If a fruit turns brown (in spots or entirely) and becomes soft, we should avoid it. This is due to the "development of undesirable microflora for our health." Experts emphasize that such fruits should be discarded.

Mouldy fruits should also not be eaten. It's worth remembering that even if mould appears on a small part of the fruit, it should be discarded entirely. This is because, although it may not be visible, mould spores are present throughout the fruit.