Watermelons from Iran declared safe for consumption in UAE

A day after the UAE temporarily stopped the sale of Iranian watermelons in the country as a precautionary measure, the country’s Ministry of Environment and Water declared the fruit is safe for consumption.

A consignment of the fruit that reached the country last week was found to contain holes, due to which they were confiscated by the Sharjah Municipality.

Unconfirmed social media reports said holes were made to inject pesticide materials.

The Khaleej Times reported that a top official from the Health and Environment Department confirmed that an inspection of the melons found brown holes in the fruit. A few of the melons also had stones inside them.

However, radon tests carried out on the fruit confirmed they were free from any chemical substances, insecticides or other pollutants.

The ministry said in a statement: "Tests also showed the melons are radiation free. The holes found on the fruit were caused by an insect infection."

According to the Al Bayan Arabic language newspaper, following the poisoning scare, Iranian watermelons were removed from the markets, co-operative societies, supermarkets and groceries in Abu Dhabi.

Emirates 24/7 reported this disappearance came after the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority’s (ADFCA) decision to ban the sale of melons imported from Iran.

Removal of the Iranian watermelons in the nation has led to an exponential rise in the price of watermelons being imported from other places such as Jordan.

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Image: Unconfirmed reports in social media said Iranian watermelons with holes could be poisoned. Photo: courtesy of artur84 / freedigitalphotos.net.