A salmonella outbreak linked to precut melon has affected 117 people in 10 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Apr 24.
The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration say the likely source of the outbreak is Caito Foods LLC in Illinois, but the investigation is ongoing.
Salmonella outbreak linked to melons sickens 117 people in MI https://t.co/zyzFHIkpYi pic.twitter.com/Cr6fKLVTvu
— FOX 17 (@FOX17) April 26, 2019
On April 12, Caito voluntarily recalled several types of pre-cut melon sold at Kroger, Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, and Amazon.com under the Whole Foods label.
The recall includes precut watermelon, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, and pre-cut fruit medley products. The fruit was distributed to Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. A full list of the recalled products is available on the FDA website.
“If you cannot determine if any precut melon you purchased was produced by Caito Foods LLC, don’t eat it and throw it away,” the CDC said.
The CDC said illnesses started on March 4 and continued to April 8. Thirty-two people have been hospitalized. The youngest infected consumer was less than a year old, and the oldest was 98. No deaths have been reported.
RECALL UPDATE: A salmonella outbreak involving packaged melon distributed across 16 states now includes 117 cases, with over 30 hospitalizations. https://t.co/7Le01jh6Ow pic.twitter.com/C6wNfH3nsj
— WebMD (@WebMD) April 25, 2019
Salmonella is to blame for 1 million cases of foodborne illness in the United States every year, according to the CDC.
Symptoms usually begin 12 to 72 hours after consuming the bacteria and can last four to seven days. They include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, according to the CDC. Most people recover on their own. Patients who experience severe diarrhea may require hospitalization. If severely ill patients are not treated, the illness can be deadly.
@CDCgov reported 117 cases of #salmonella linked to pre-cut #melon and #fruit medley products produced and shipped by @caitofoods LLC as of April 24: https://t.co/aFZVW3bPBW pic.twitter.com/3rwkwOAWK1
— The Food Institute (@FoodInstitute) April 25, 2019
Salmonella Scare Triggers Egg Recall
A salmonella scare which sparked a widespread national recall of eggs is an “isolated outbreak” according to an industry group which insists the majority of products are still safe to eat.
There’s been a nationwide egg recall over a potential salmonella contamination in Victoria. Bridgewater Poultry sells products to @Woolworths and independent grocers in NSW as well as @Coles in other parts of the country. #EggRecall #7News pic.twitter.com/f5sn7Pf4kG
— 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) March 21, 2019
⚠️ Food recall ⚠️ Bridgewater Poultry is recalling various barn laid eggs and cage free eggs in ACT, NSW, Vic., Tas., and SA. The recall is due to potential Salmonella Enteriditis contamination https://t.co/XoaQSF8D1a #FoodRecallAu #FSANZ #FoodRecall #SalmonellaSE pic.twitter.com/NYVDl3a8C9
— FoodStandardsAusNZ (@FSANZnews) March 20, 2019
A day after Australian health authorities issued a warning for some eggs produced by Victoria’s Bridgewater Poultry, Egg Farmers of Australia on March 22 moved to reassure consumers.
Spokesman John Coward said from time-to-time salmonella may be present in eggs given all warm-blooded animals can carry the bacteria in their intestines.
Bit of a concern that they are reporting that we have Salmonella Enteritidis in Australia. I would want this checked. SE is a different beast for the poultry industry and would make it mandatory for refrigeration etc… despite this, we could improve our egg monitoring. pic.twitter.com/SMz1rlVudp
— Kathryn Wilks (@kmwilks) March 21, 2019
“If varying strains of salmonella are present, in this case we have quite a nasty one, then the chance of it getting through a very small percentage and contaminating some eggs is there and that’s what happened,” he said on ABC radio on Friday.
“We are seeing an isolated outbreak. But there was an outbreak in NSW late last year.”
Some egg brands have been recalled across Victoria, NSW, Tasmania and South Australia after positive tests from the Bridgewater farm and numerous cases of salmonella enteritidis.
The AAP contributed to this report.
