By late afternoon, the fruit seller had already sprayed water over the watermelon slices three times to keep them looking fresh.

Nearby, glasses of sugarcane juice stood lined up in the heat. In another home, cut fruit waited on the dining table because the refrigerator was already full.

Summer changes the way food moves through everyday life in India. It changes how long things stay fresh, how quickly they spoil, and how carefully they need to be handled once temperatures rise.

And according to Dr Palaniappan Manickam, better known online as Dr Pal, understanding these small shifts can go a long way in preventing the wave of seasonal stomach infections that arrive every year with the heat.

“Food poisoning is not always about one bad meal,” he explains to The Better India. “In summer, heat changes how food behaves. Bacteria multiply faster, food spoils quicker, and contamination can happen at several points before the food even reaches your plate.”

This year, as temperatures climb across large parts of India earlier than usual, conversations around food safety have intensified again — especially after recent social media panic around allegedly “contaminated” watermelons sold in local markets.

But experts say the good news is that many summer food-related illnesses are preventable once people understand how contamination actually happens.

Why does summer change the risk

Dr Pal explains – Food poisoning occurs when a person consumes food or water contaminated with harmful microorganisms, toxins, or chemicals. “The most common culprits are bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Campylobacter, though viruses like norovirus and even parasites can also trigger illness.”

Summer creates ideal conditions for these organisms to thrive.

Higher temperatures accelerate bacterial growth, especially in foods left exposed for long periods. Items that appear perfectly normal at 10 am can become risky by late afternoon if not refrigerated properly.

According to Dr Pal, foods commonly linked to summer contamination include cut fruits, dairy products, cooked........

© The Better India