Del Monte Cantaloupe Lawsuit Filed Over Salmonella Food Poisoning

A food poisoning lawsuit has been filed against Del Monte by the family of a young girl who was one of more than a dozen people who fell ill due to a salmonella outbreak that was linked to tainted cantaloupes sold at warehouse clubs last month. 

The complaint was filed on March 31 against Del Monte Fresh Produce in Adams County District Court in Colorado on behalf of the family of an unidentified 12-year-old girl, who allegedly ate a Del Monte cantaloupe purchased at Costco in early March and fell ill. She was diagnosed as having salmonella food poisoning by a local hospital.

The lawsuit came about a week after the FDA announced a Del Monte cantaloupe recall affecting nearly 5,000 cases of the fruit that were sold to various bulk-item stores in the western U.S. All of the cantaloupes were grown at Del Monte Fresh’s Asuncion Mita farm in Guatemala.

The recall was triggered by a salmonella outbreak that is believed to have sickened at least 13 people across five states, including California, Colorado, Maryland, Oregon and Washington. All of the victims were infected by a strain known as Salmonella Panama.

According to the lawsuit, this was the third Del Monte cantaloupe recall in the last two years due to salmonella contamination.

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.