Moldovan national food safety agency to monitor production of water melons, muskmelons meant for sale

Chisinau, 25 July /MOLDPRES/ - Specialists of the National Food Safety Agency (ANSA) will verify the production of water melons and muskmelons meant for sale, in order to identify the content of nitrates and residuum of pesticides. Thirty two samples have been collected so far; as many as 272 samples of fresh vegetables and fruits have been analyzed in 2019 in all.    

“When placing on market, the attestation of the compliance with the sanitary norms of the agricultural raw material of vegetal origin, including of fresh vegetables and fruits, is made based on tests carried out by an accredited laboratory. And at a request by the economic agent, the compliance can be additionally attested through the certificate of inoffensiveness,” ANSA sources have said.  

The agency recommends the purchasing of fruits and vegetables from places authorized or registered by the authorities and the consumer has right to ask the trader to present a document showing the harmlessness of the goods (test bulletin or certificate of inoffensiveness).

Meanwhile, specialists of the Agency warn consumers to be attentive with their shopping and the fruits and vegetables bought must be: sound (without sports of rot or perished, because of which they become inappropriate for consumption); without visible alien substances (for instance, soil); without deteriorations triggered by pests, which affect the pulp; without abnormal external moistness; without alien smell and/or taste.

Contacted by MOLDPRES, more farmers dealing with the growing of water melons and muskmelons say that, when buying these goods, it is important that one should check their shape. One should choose a uniform fruit, without blows, cuts or other spots. If the fruit has swellings or nodules, it means that the melon was hit by son.  

No matter the size, a ripe melon should be pretty weighty for its dimension. This points to the fact that it is full of water and hence, it is sweet and ripe. Also, the yellow spot of a melon from the opposite side of the stalk must necessarily be yellow. If it is green or white, this shows that the melon was gathered too quickly and it is not ripe.

A melon gathered more days ago has a dry stalk or one should choose melons with still unripe stalk, to make sure that they are not perished. A melon which is not too ripe and not a little ripe should not have soft peel or soft zones on its surface. This is a sign that the fruit is too ripe.