Can fresh, uncut fruit that is offered on a self-service line be safely re-served?

Offering fresh fruits and vegetables to school children is an important part of the National School Lunch program. Experts believe that to get children to select fresh fruits and vegetables, it must be attractively presented. This is the reason that whole, uncut fruit is often displayed in bowls on self-service lines in school cafeterias.

Questions have recently been raised about whether or not fruits displayed in these bowls on self-service lines can be safely re-served. According to the NC Foodservice Regulations exposed (or unpackaged) foods that are on a self-serving line cannot be re-served to other customers. Exposed foods are believed to be more likely to become contaminated by a customer while the customer is serving themself. However, fresh uncut fruit is viewed differently as the peel often serves as a package -- sometimes an edible package. Disallowing the re-service of these fruits could create an economic burden to the schools as it would result in a lot of food being thrown out. As a result, some schools might discontinue offering fresh fruits and vegetables.

Some health departments have suggested that serving utensils be provided. If properly used, serving utensils protect food against contamination from hands. However, serving utensils are not practical for large pieces of fruits, such as citrus fruit, apples, and pears. They are very easy to use for dispensing berries, such as strawberries, blueberries, and grapes, and so should be provided with these types of fruit. Some health departments have even suggested wrapping each piece of fruit in plastic wrap or placing in individual lidded containers. This processing step significantly increases costs (labor and packaging materials) as well as increases the likelihood of contamination from an additional handling step by the worker. It further detracts from the appearance and appeal of the fruit.

Remember -- the purpose of the School HACCP Plan is to prevent contamination and/or to reduce or eliminate hazards to a safe level. Therefore, one needs to evaluate the likelihood and severity of a risk(s) occurring at each handling step, including while on a self-serving line, and determine if there are effective measures that can be applied to control for these risks. It is believed that whole fruit on display on a self-serving line could become contaminated but the risk for foodborne illness is minimal. Furthermore, control measures can be easily implemented to reduce contaminants to a safe level.

There are three categories of fruits that have been defined and each is handled differently to keep it safe to eat. The three categories are: fruits that are normally peeled before eating, fruits for which the peel is eaten, and berries.

FRUITS NORMALLY PEELED BEFORE EATING. Fruits normally peeled before eating could be safely re-served without washing. The peel is a package that is removed before eating. This would include citrus fruit and bananas. If any of these fruits are cut and displayed on a self-serving line, they must be thrown out at the end of service. These fruits must be stored in a safe and clean environment.

FRUITS PEELED BEFORE EATING. Not all fruits are peeled before eating. The peel of some fruits are eaten and so the peel could become contaminated through handling. Examples of fruits for which the peel is eaten include apples, pears, nectarines, peaches, and plums. After display on a self-serving line, these fruits must be washed thoroughly under safe running water and allowed to air-dry before re-serving the next day on the serving line. Soap and/or sanitizing solution must never be used to wash the surface of fruits and vegetables as they can leave potentially harmful residues. To date, there are no recommended sanitatization procedures for fresh produce that can be safely implemented in the foodservice environment so dipping in a sanitizing solution is not allowed. After washing, the fruit must be stored in a clean environment until the next day.

BERRIES. Berries including strawberries, grapes, blueberries, have very delicate skin and so are much more prone to contamination. The surface on most berries is difficult to wash. Leftover berries that are displayed in a self-service bowl cannot be re-served. However, it is recommended that near the end of service, once the bowl is empty, pre-portioned lidded containers of berries be offered to students. These lidded containers can be recovered and re-served the next day. Just like other types of fruit they must be stored in a safe and clean environment.

Given all of these factors and the concerns about the economics of safely re-serving fresh, uncut fruit, it has been determined that the risk for foodborne illness is minimal from uncut fruits if proper handling procedures are followed. To help school foodservice personnel make better decisions, click on the attached table. This table applies to how one should safely handle fresh, uncut fruits that have been on a self-service line.

Handling Procedures for Whole, Uncut Fruit