Del Monte Cantaloupe Recall: Salmonella Contamination

An outbreak of Salmonella food poisoning has led to a recall of nearly 60,000 Del Monte cantaloupes.

The cantaloupe recall was announced on March 22 by the FDA after the agency made an epidemiologic link between the fruit and 12 reported cases of Salmonella Panama.

Nearly 5,000 cartons of the Del Monte Fresh Cantaloupes were distributed in warehouse clubs in Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

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All of the cantaloupes were grown at a Del Monte Fresh’s Asuncion Mita farm in Guatemala. The company has halted production and distribution of cantaloupes from the farm while it and the FDA hunt for the source of the salmonella contamination.

The recall affects cantaloups that were sold between March 10 and March 21, with lot codes of 02-15-24-10, 02-15-25-10, 02-15-26-10 and 02-15-28-10. Each carton of Del Monte Fresh cantaloupes contains 4 plastic mesh sleeves of 3 cantaloupes with a plastic orange handle.

Salmonella is a type of bacteria that attacks the gastrointestinal tract, causing mild to severe food poisoning. For most healthy adults, symptoms of food poisoning from salmonella typically resolve after a few days or weeks. However, young children, the elderly, and individuals with compromised immune systems have an increased risk of suffering severe food poisoning after ingesting the bacteria. If not properly treated, some cases of salmonella food poisoning can lead to hospitalization, dehydration or death.

The Salmonella Panama strain is known to cause fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. It can also sometimes get into the bloodstream and cause arterial infections, endocarditis and arthritis. 

Consumers in possession of the recalled cantaloupes should return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. For more information, consumers can call Del Monte Fresh at 1-800-659-6500 or e-mail the company at Contact-US-Executive-Office@freshdelmonte.com.

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2 Comments

  • MelaniAugust 29, 2012 at 9:30 am

    One obvious thing that the media or pubilc health officials fail to address is the predominate way that food is grown and distributed in out country. It may bring the cost down, but it definitely isn't healthy. I believe if looked into in depth, that many of these outbreaks can be traced back to contaminated farms that house chicken, cows, pigs, etc. These are not natural places, and are highly[Show More]One obvious thing that the media or pubilc health officials fail to address is the predominate way that food is grown and distributed in out country. It may bring the cost down, but it definitely isn't healthy. I believe if looked into in depth, that many of these outbreaks can be traced back to contaminated farms that house chicken, cows, pigs, etc. These are not natural places, and are highly contaminated and thus the animals in such close quarters must be given mass amounts of antibiotics, and growth hormones and fed an unnatural diet. If these farms are at all upstream from agriculural farms, it easy to see where the contamination comes from.We definitely could benefit from smaller meat and poultry and crop raising farms that produce a healthier product. This goes against where the big money interests are at this time.

  • RichardApril 3, 2011 at 8:04 pm

    I ate the cantaloupe from Costco. I am still alive!! No sickness. who ever started the recall has the same personality as some one calling a phony bomb scare. Wash the outside of your fruit, wash your hands and for godsake clean your kitchen.

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