Watermelons: Summer’s symbol causes scare

The unassuming fruit recently became a reminder of all that is wrong regarding food hygiene in India after a family of four in Mumbai died post-consuming it

Watermelons are coming in the hundreds to markets across Delhi as summer starts to peak.Photo: Vikas Choudhary/CSE

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13 May 2026, 1:05 pm

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The summer is on. And with it, the fruit that is the symbol of the season, is arriving in the hundreds to the markets of Okhla Mandi in Delhi.

A fresh watermelon is made up of around 90 per cent water. No wonder then, that it makes a perfect fruit for summer, when loss of fluids from the body is rapid.

However, the recent incident of a family of four in Mumbai dying after consuming the fruit is still fresh in public memory. It was later found that there were traces of zinc phosphide in the fruit that the family consumed.Photo: Vikas Choudhary/CSE

However, the unassuming fruit recently made headlines recently when a family of four in Pydhonie in Mumbai died after consuming the fruit.

Investigators found zinc phosphide in the watermelon eaten by the family.

The incident is a reminder that even an unassuming fruit can become a death trap in India owning to issues of hygiene and contamination.Photo: Vikas Choudhary/CSE

The incident in Mumbai serves as a reminder that even an unassuming fruit in India may become a death trap, given the state of hygiene and contamination in the food chain.

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