Melon
What the research shows
Unclear
the research on this page hasn’t settled it*
*Allergies present
A sweet, fleshy fruit that grows on a plant.1
What research says
Studies in people
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Open question
Sunburn and skin redness2
In people, taking or applying melon concentrate raised the dose of UV light needed to redden skin.
Found in some samples or products
These come from where it was grown, how it was processed or cooked, or what it was made into. They are not about the ingredient itself, so the signal does not count them.
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Cancer risk from produce4
In melon and cantaloupe from Iranian markets, pesticides were found, and scientists say the risk from one of them is a concern.
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Residue breakdown after spraying5
Forchlorfenuron and a related compound were found in oriental melon, but levels dropped quickly after spraying.
Allergies and intolerances
These are about people with an allergy, an intolerance or coeliac disease. The signal is about the ingredient itself, and these are about the person eating it, so the signal does not count them.
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Fruit allergy symptoms3
People allergic to melon mostly got mouth symptoms, and all of them were also allergic to pollen.
The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.
Products
The 6 most-scanned of 966 products on Open Food Facts that list melon.
- Chupa ChupsThe best of lollipops Chupa Chups · 120 g 5 additives
- Sour Watermelon Candy Kittens · 140 g 6 additives
- Protein Pancake & Waffle Mix Flourish · 1 kg 1 additive
- Bonny Fruit Summer Mix Roshen · 200 g 4 additives
- Sweet Thins Honey Cinnamon Simple Mills 3 additives
- Seed & Nut Flour Sweet Thins Honey Cinnamon Simple Mills · 4.25 oz 3 additives
References
- 1Melon. Wikipedia. Accessed September 30, 2026. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- 2Egoumenides L, Gauthier A, Barial S, et al. A Specific Melon Concentrate Exhibits Photoprotective Effects from Antioxidant Activity in Healthy Adults. Nutrients. 2018;10(4). doi:10.3390/nu10040437
- 3Figueredo E, Cuesta-Herranz J, De-Miguel J, et al. Clinical characteristics of melon (Cucumis melo) allergy. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2003;91(3):303-8. doi:10.1016/s1081-1206(10)63534-x
- 4Mahdavi V, Eslami Z, Gordan H, et al. Pesticide residues in green-house cucumber, cantaloupe, and melon samples from Iran: A risk assessment by Monte Carlo Simulation. Environ Res. 2022;206:112563. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2021.112563
- 5Wang Q, Su H, Yue N, et al. Dissipation and risk assessment of forchlorfenuron and its major metabolites in oriental melon under greenhouse cultivation. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2021;225:112700. doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112700