FSSAI Reveals What You Should Do Before Eating Fruits With Stickers; No, Peeling Them Isn’t Enough

If you have ever bought fruits or vegetables from a supermarket or a grocery store, you may have noticed a small sticker glued to them. The stickers are used by stores to show the fruit’s price and how it was grown. But did you know that simply peeling off the sticker is not enough to ensure that the fruit is safe to eat? Here’s what FSSAI suggests you do.

How To Safely Eat Stickered Fruits & Vegetables?

Peeling off and washing stickered fruits and vegetables isn’t always enough!

The adhesive residue from stickers can stick to the skin of produce, which can be harmful to your health. Protect your family by peeling off the skin or the stickered area before consuming

#EatRight https://t.co/LZOq1S2kIF

— FSSAI (@fssaiindia) October 6, 2026

According to India’s food regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), peeling off and washing fruits and vegetables with stickers is not always enough. They recently posted on X, saying that the adhesive residue from stickers can stick to the skin of the produce. And eating that fruit can be harmful to your health.

Almost every fruit and vegetable from a supermarket now comes with a sticker. So, what should a consumer do? FSSAI suggests peeling off the skin or the stickered area before consuming to protect yourself and your family. This means that instead of just washing and eating, you can cut the specific part where the sticker was glued before eating.

Also Read: Can Fruits, Vegetables, And Whole Grains Increase Lung Cancer Risk? Expert Reveals 

What Happens If You Accidentally Swallow A Fruit Sticker?

But what really happens if you accidentally swallow that sticker? Dr Brunda MS, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine at Aster CMI Hospital, Bengaluru, shared a very important thing with The Indian Express. According to her, these labelling stickers may contain glue, ink and other materials which are not meant to be consumed. Accidentally swallowing a piece of the sticker is not considered harmful but should be avoided.

She also explained that the substances in the adhesive or ink may cause stomach or throat irritation or lead to mild stomach discomfort. Even if an adhesive is described as food-grade, one should still take proper precautions and not eat it.

Also Read: FSSAI May Ban Analogue Paneer Nationwide? Here’s What We Know So Far

So, the next time you see a sticker on the fruits or vegetables, make sure you cut that part off and throw it away. Just peeling it off and washing that area is clearly not enough.

Cover Image Courtesy: Pexels/Joolsmagools