The Grab-And-Go Item You Might Want To Avoid Buying At A Deli

It may seem like supermarket deli sections have been expanding to a wild degree. Nowadays, you can find everything from hot foods and salads to soups and snacks at deli grab-and-go counters. However, there are items you should think twice about picking up from a deli, including even healthier options like fresh pre-cut fruit since it can actually give you food poisoning if prepared inattentively. 

It's easy for fruits like melons, which sit on the ground, to pick up infectious agents from the soil. The rinds of cantaloupes or melons, for example, can easily carry listeria, E.coli, and salmonella. So if a grocery worker cuts a melon without giving it a thorough wash first, the bacteria can transfer from the knife that cuts through the rind into the flesh of the fruit. 

It's actually happened before: In 2018, fresh-cut melons caused an outbreak of salmonella. Seventy-seven people were infected in nine states, and 36 people were hospitalized. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, half of all foodborne illnesses in the U.S. come from fresh produce contaminated with these pathogens.

There are other reasons you may want to skip buying pre-packaged fruit. This probably won't come as a surprise, but buying pre-cut fruit or vegetables means someone has to cut the produce, the effort of which makes the price tag much higher. Many items can cost up to $5 when pre-chopped, while whole fruits can cost less than half of that. Kroger's pre-chopped watermelon comes in at $5 for just 18 ounces, while a whole mini, seedless watermelon is $4.50 for about 5 pounds of fruit. 

Pre-cut fruits may also be less good for you in terms of their nutrition potential. Former grocery store dietitian Caroline West Passerrello told Men's Health, "Cutting fruits or vegetables exposes them to oxygen and light, and sometimes heat, all of which affect vitamin retention in food." The exposure to oxygen and light will also cause pre-cut fruit to spoil more quickly, which gives you less time to enjoy the pricier product.

Cutting fruit yourself can be tedious, but there are more efficient ways to do so, whether you want to cut stone fruit to get the most of them or want to dice slippery soft fruits like mangos. Just make sure you're washing them first to avoid any contaminants.