Salmonella Prompts Pennsylvania Cantaloupe Recall

March 2008

Mar 31 2008 UPDATE – Additional companies have recalled cantaloupes supplied by the Honduran grower and packer Agropecuaria Montelibano. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has determined that the fruit may be contaminated with salmonella. The following cantaloupes are affected by the recall:

• Dole Fresh Fruit Company – cantaloupe sold throughout United States, "Dole" and "Product of Honduras" printed on shipping crates
• Spokane Produce – Garden Patch, Yokes, and Rosauers Classic products containing cantaloupe
• JARD Marketing - Pebble Beach, Festival Of Fruit, Cornucopia Sweet, Jambo Chef, Fowler Fruit Mix, Instantwhip, Syracuse Banana, and City Line Food Dist brands containing cantaloupe
• Bounty Fresh, LLC – "Chestnut Hill Farms" and "Perfect Melon" brands
• Chiquita Brands International, Inc - "Mike's Melons," "Mayan Pride" and "Chiquita" brands
• Simply Fresh Fruit - Simply Fresh Fruit Brand food service Fruit Mix in Syrup dated “sell by 4 – 18 08” or earlier, food service Cantaloupe Chunks in Syrup dated “sell by 4 – 08 8” or earlier, and retail and club store Simply Fresh, Fresh Cut Fruit Brand dated “sell by 3 – 29 8”or earlier

Mar 27 2008 UPDATE 2 – T.M. Kovacevich International, Inc., based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is recalling cantaloupes that it purchased from Agropecuaria Montelibano because the fruit may be contaminated with salmonella. The cantaloupes could have reached consumers through grocery stores, restaurants, or other food retailers.

The recalled melons were distributed to wholesalers and processors in Georgia, Florida, Massachusetts and New Jersey. They carry a “Mike’s Melons” sticker or may be unlabeled because this sticker has fallen off. The affected fruit was sold in boxes marked with the following text: “Cantaloupe, Mike’s Melons, Produce of Honduras, Grown, Packed and Shipped by Agropecuaria Montelibano, San Lorenzo, Valle, Honduras.”

Mar 27 2008 UPDATE 1 – Tropifresh, Inc. has recalled Agrolibano’s Produce Brand whole cantaloupes from PA wholesalers because they appear to be contaminated with salmonella. This recall was initiated after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an alert regarding Honduran cantaloupe that appears to be linked to a salmonella outbreak in the United States and Canada.

The affected cantaloupes were imported from Agropecuaria Montelibano, a Honduran grower and packer. The cantaloupes subject to this recall carry a “Mike’s Melons” sticker or may be unlabeled because this sticker has fallen off. The cantaloupes were distributed to wholesalers in Pennsylvania, Southern California, and Canada.

Mar 26 2008 ORIGINAL ALERT – A salmonella outbreak caused by cantaloupes has hospitalized 14 people and sickened at least 50 in 16 states. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has halted the importation of all cantaloupes from Agropecuaria Montelibano located in Honduras in connection with the outbreak.

Melons contaminated with salmonella may not appear spoiled, so any cantaloupes imported from Agropecuaria Montelibano should be thrown away. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. In the very young, the very old, and in those with compromised immune systems salmonella can be fatal.

Illnesses have been reported in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin. To reduce the risk of contracting salmonella or other foodborne illnesses from cantaloupes, the FDA recommends the following:

• Purchasing cantaloupes that are not bruised or damaged. If buying fresh-cut cantaloupe, refrigerate or surround it with ice.
• Scrubbing whole cantaloupes by using a clean produce brush and cool tap water immediately before eating.
• Cutting away and not eating bruised or damaged areas of the cantaloupe.
• Washing hands with hot, soapy water before or after handling fresh cantaloupes.
• Discarding leftover cut cantaloupe if left at room temperature for more than two hours.