Papaya
What the research shows
No concerns
none of the findings here link it to harm
The plant species Carica papaya, grown in tropical countries.1
What research says
Studies in people
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Benefit
Vitamin A levels2
In healthy people, papaya as juice or fresh fruit raised blood vitamin A levels more than dried slices did.
Animal and lab studies only
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Benefit
Colon cancer risk4
In lab studies, a fiber in papaya called pectin slowed colon cancer cells, but only at one stage of ripeness.
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No harm found
Food allergy risk5
The added protein in virus-resistant papaya breaks down in the stomach and does not resemble known allergens.
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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Food poisoning outbreaks3
In 2017 and 2019, fresh Maradol papayas from Mexico sickened 325 people in the US with Salmonella.
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 943 products on Open Food Facts that list papaya.
- Simply Fruity muesli Dorset cereals · 630 g 2 additives
- Premium Fruit & Nut Muesli Lidl · 750 g 2 additives
- KEFIR YOGURT Passion Fruit Mango and Papaya Graham's · 350 g 0 additives
- Mango Papaya Passion Fruit Yogurt Onken · 450 g 3 additives
- Tropical Granola Crownfield · 1 kg 3 additives
- Mixed fruit Jam Kissan · 500 g 4 additives
References
- 1Papaya. Wikipedia. Accessed September 29, 2026. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- 2Gouado I, Schweigert FJ, Ejoh RA, Tchouanguep MF, Camp JV. Systemic levels of carotenoids from mangoes and papaya consumed in three forms (juice, fresh and dry slice). Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007;61(10):1180-8. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602841
- 3Whitney BM, McCLURE M, Hassan R, et al. A Series of Papaya-Associated Salmonella Illness Outbreak Investigations in 2017 and 2019: A Focus on Traceback, Laboratory, and Collaborative Efforts. J Food Prot. 2021;84(11):2002-2019. doi:10.4315/JFP-21-082
- 4Prado SBRD, Santos GRC, Mourão PAS, Fabi JP. Chelate-soluble pectin fraction from papaya pulp interacts with galectin-3 and inhibits colon cancer cell proliferation. Int J Biol Macromol. 2019;126:170-178. doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.12.191
- 5Fermín G, Keith RC, Suzuki JY, et al. Allergenicity assessment of the papaya ringspot virus coat protein expressed in transgenic rainbow papaya. J Agric Food Chem. 2011;59(18):10006-12. doi:10.1021/jf201194r