Pineapples and papayas are the weapons of choice in a global fruit fight under way in federal court in Manhattan. The point of the struggle? Deciding whether the fruit in plastic containers on refrigerated shelves in grocery store produce sections is fresh — or processed. The dispute sets Fresh Del Monte against Del Monte Foods. The two companies were created out of what had been a single Del Monte after the takeover of its corporate owner, RJR Nabisco, in 1989. Under the terms of two licensing agreements between the two companies, Fresh Del Monte has the right to sell "fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and fresh produce" under the Del Monte name, while Del Monte Foods has the right to sell canned and preserved fruits, vegetables and produce. That might seem like a fairly straightforward division of the spoils, but the two companies have fought over those terms ever since, each accusing the other of encroaching on its turf.