Are worms in your fruit safe? Experts weigh in

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, assuming we notice it in time. Can eating fruit with worms harm us?

Vegetables and fruits are an important part of a balanced diet. They work well as both a snack and a standalone meal. In the summer, we can choose from an extensive range of fruits. The most important thing is to always choose those from a reliable source and to wash them before eating.

It is also worth taking a close look at the fruits 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 uninvited guests.

However, even thorough washing may not be enough to get rid of worms in the fruit. We most often encounter them in plums, cherries, and sweet cherries. This is simply because we do not always look inside these fruits before eating them.

Many people who have experienced this wonder, is eating fruit with worms safe for our health? It turns out that it is safer than eating moldy fruit.

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 safe. 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.

Far more serious threats to our health are rotting fruits. If a fruit is turning brown (in spots or entirely) and becoming soft, we should avoid it. This is due to the development of undesirable microflora, which is harmful to our health. Experts emphasize that such fruits should be absolutely discarded.

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