Rockmelon
Fresh fruit and vegetables are an important part of a healthy and nutritious diet.
However, fresh fruit, including rockmelons, can be hazardous if not prepared or stored properly. Rockmelons have been linked to several serious foodborne illness outbreaks in recent years. This page explains the safe food handling practices to follow when receiving, storing, and preparing rockmelon.
Bacteria is naturally found in soil and can transfer to the rockmelon skin as they grow on the soil. The skin of rockmelon has a net-like texture with grooves, making it difficult to clean.
Everybody is at risk of foodborne illness; however Listeria and Salmonella may cause very serious illnesses in vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, babies, the elderly and people with reduced immunity. Among these groups, the illness can be severe and life threatening.
Do
- Wash hands before and after handling rockmelons.
- Keep cut rockmelon in the fridge at 5°C or below.
Do not
- Use or eat rockmelon with skin that is dirty, cracked, bruised or decayed or damaged.
- Keep or eat rockmelon if it has been out of the fridge for more than 2 hours.
- Reuse knives, chopping boards and other kitchen equipment after cutting rockmelon until they have been thoroughly cleaned and sanitised.
Check
- the cleanliness of the storage container, packaging or food transport vehicle
- reject if the rockmelon skin is damaged as this may allow bacteria to enter the flesh
- throw the rockmelon away if there are any signs of decay, bruising or damage (e.g. cracked skin) to avoid risk of cross-contamination.
Clean
- Wash hands thoroughly before and after handling rockmelon.
- Ensure all equipment and utensils such as cutting boards, knives and benches, are thoroughly cleaned with hot soapy water, rinsed and sanitised, after coming into contact with rockmelons.
- Use equipment and containers that can be cleaned, sanitised and maintained to avoid cross-contamination risks.
- Keep cutting knives and utensils in a good condition.
Storage and display
- To avoid cross-contamination risks, display whole or pre-cut rockmelon ensuring it does not make contact with other foods or equipment.
- Design, construct and maintain areas used for storing or preparing rockmelon in a way to avoid cross-contamination risks.
- Wrap and package pre-cut rockmelon to avoid cross-contamination.
- Give consumers specific handling directions for storage and use and include a ‘use-by’ date. For example, “Refrigerate at 5°C or below. Use by (date).” The use-by date will depend on the age of the fruit at the time of purchase or supply. Label information should be used as the primary guide for safe storage and consumption.
Cutting or slicing rockmelon
When cutting rockmelon, it is important to remember that bacteria can be transferred to the flesh and cross-contaminate surfaces and other food.
To avoid cross-contamination:
- cut small batches more often rather than storing large batches for longer
- keep pre-cut rockmelon at 5°C or below to reduce the rate at which bacteria grow
- display cut melons for a maximum of 2 hours without temperature control. Throw away after 2 hours.
Legal obligations for food retailers
As a food retailer, you have an obligation under the Food Act 2006 and the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code to ensure the rockmelons you sell are safe and suitable for human consumption.
You are responsible for ensuring all employees have the skills and knowledge required to handle food safely.
Follow the below safe food handling practices so that employees who handle rockmelons, minimise the food safety risks:
- Do not permit employees suffering from disease or illness to handle food.
- Keep records of packaging and suppliers (e.g. grower’s name and address, date harvested, lot identification) to help isolate the source of contamination if there is a foodborne illness outbreak.