Fruit, Fruit Products

The safety issues that have occurred with fruits have been mainly with fresh fruits contaminated with living (vegetative) bacterial cells such as E.coli. contamination that came from irrigation water or fertilizer. Cooking kills these pathogens, so the risk exists only with raw products or with cooked products that have been re-contaminated. However, cooked fruit products such as jelly can develop dangerous mold.

Fruits and fruit products contain an abundance of carotenoids, flavonoids and other phytochemicals that help prevent or combat a number of diseases and disorders, including high cholesterol, colon cancer, and osteoporosis. In fact, the World Health Organization recommends eating 3-5 servings--or two cups--of fruit or fruit products per day. While WHO recommends that a majority of servings come from whole fruit, a half-cup serving of 100 percent fruit juice is considered the equivalent of a half-cup serving of whole fruit.