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If You Get A Foaming Watermelon, Don’t Eat It, It Could Be Toxic

Author Melany Myers
Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

Toxic foaming watermelon sounds like a band name, but it’s an actual thing happening across the country, and it can make you sick. With very hot temps in many states around the country, some that aren’t used to it, it’s causing all kinds of issues. One of the issues is watermelons becoming too hot, so they are foaming.

According to WGME, folks around the country are picking up watermelons at their local grocery stores and they’re seeing foam coming from cracks in the rind. The watermelons are coming mostly from Florida, Arizona, California, Delaware, and Texas. All of those states are seeing abnormally hot temps this summer. The melons are growing in higher than usual temperatures, so they’re fermenting. That’s what the foam is.

A fermenting process is used to make some alcohol, so would you get a buzz eating a foaming watermelon? Food safety experts say no. In addition, they say that eating a foaming watermelon is a safety issue. Not only should you not eat it, you shouldn’t be bringing into your house. The bacteria could harm you or someone else, especially if you eat it. A trip to the doctor’s or the hospital is not what you need this summer!

What Can A Foaming Watermelon Do

Once the fermentation begins inside a watermelon, it creates the perfect environment for toxic pathogens to flourish. Some of these include botulism, E. coli and Salmonella, according to the Fermentation Association. If enough gas that is produced in the fermentation process builds up inside the fruit, it can cause the watermelon to explode. An exploding watermelon would be bad!  Cutting into a fermenting watermelon can also result in an explosion.

Storing the watermelon in the fridge once you bring it home is recommended. Washing the rind/outside of the watermelon is also recommended. In all honesty, I’m not sure I’ve ever done that. Although it makes sense! Cutting into a watermelon that has bacteria on the rind means you can still get ill.

Foaming watermelons are probably not known about in grocery stores. Most stores are kept pretty cool. Although, if you’re like me and try to buy as much produce at a local farmer’s market in summer, the melons could be warm. Just watch out when buying watermelons. If you see one foaming, don’t get it. And if you put a watermelon on your counter for a few days before cutting into it, and you see it foaming, throw it away as soon as you can. An outside trash can is preferable.

Looking at the video below can show you exactly what a foaming melon looks like.

 

See Just How Many Fruits and Vegetables North Carolina Consumes

Diets rich in fruits and vegetables contribute to a healthy immune system and prevent chronic conditions. Despite the recent popularity of a more plant-based diet and lifestyle, most Americans do not consume enough fruits and vegetables. Only 12.3% of Americans are eating fruit and 10% are eating a daily serving of veggies. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults eat 1.5-2 cups of fruits and 2-3 cups of vegetables daily.

Citing data collected through the 2019 Risk Behavior Surveillance System by the CDC, Thistle compiled state-level data on fruit and vegetable consumption. States are ranked highest to lowest. This is by the percent of the adult population consuming less than one serving of fruit per day. Data was not available for New Jersey. Check out the data below to see how your state stacks up, or look at the national fruit and vegetable consumption ranking here.

  • North Carolina by the numbers

    • Adults eating less than one serving of fruit per day: 38.1%
    • Adults eating less than one serving of vegetables per day: 17.1%
    • High school students eating less than one serving of fruit per day: 47.7%
    • High school students eating less than one serving of vegetables per day: 45.5%

     

    Food deserts, regions where residents have limited to no access to affordable and nutritious foods, are often found in low-income areas and places with smaller populations. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in its most recent report published in 2017, revealed that 39.5 million people in the U.S. were living in low-income areas. This also included neighborhoods with limited access to healthy food. In order to be identified as a food desert, areas have to meet certain requirements which include a local poverty rate of at least 20% or the median family earnings being 80% or less of the neighborhood’s average family salary. Areas where the closest, largest grocery store is 10 miles away or more are also considered a food desert. Keep reading to see which states consume the most and least fruits and vegetables.

  • States that consume the most fruits and vegetables

    #1. Vermont
    – Adults eating less than one serving of fruit per day: 32%
    – Adults eating less than one serving of vegetables per day: 32.7%

    #2. Massachusetts
    – Adults eating less than one serving of fruit per day: 32.7%
    – Adults eating less than one serving of vegetables per day: 15.5%

    #3. Connecticut
    – Adults eating less than one serving of fruit per day: 34.1%
    – Adults eating less than one serving of vegetables per day: 19.9%

  • States that consume the least fruits and vegetables

    #1. Oklahoma
    – Adults eating less than one serving of fruit per day: 48.4%
    – Adults eating less than one serving of vegetables per day: 21.5%

    #2. Mississippi
    – Adults eating less than one serving of fruit per day: 47.5%
    – Adults eating less than one serving of vegetables per day: 22.9%

    #3. Louisiana
    – Adults eating less than one serving of fruit per day: 47.5%
    – Adults eating less than one serving of vegetables per day: 22.9%

Melany Myers is a Gastonia native and has spent most of her life here in North Carolina. Mel has worked in radio for over 20 years, many of which she spent co-hosting morning shows in Charlotte, NC, and Columbia, SC. Mel loves 80’s music, going to concerts, cooking, and eating! She is always writing about random news stories that really make you wonder, “what in the world?!” She also writes about rock music and human-interest content.

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