Over the weekend, Caito Foods issued a recall of their fresh cut melon products in response to a recent multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Adelaide. The products in question are fresh cut melons including watermelon, honeydew melon, and cantaloupe. They have also recalled any and all fresh-cut mixed fruit products that contain any of these melons that were produced at the Caito Foods facility in Indianapolis, Indiana. Products from this facility have been sent to grocers in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Here is a list of Grocery Stores that the contaminated product was distributed to:
- Costco
- Jay C
- Kroger
- Payless
- Owen’s
- Sprouts
- Trader Joe’s
- Walgreens
- Walmart
- Whole Foods/Amazon
The Facts
As of June 14, 2018, there have been 60 reported cases of Salmonella infections, and these cases spread across five different states. The states reporting cases are: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio. So far, 31 people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported. Whenever outbreaks like this occur, the FDA, CDC, state officials, and local officials begin investigating infections. They do this in order to find the direct source of the pathogen and how contamination happened. They will look into the production line of melon produced by Caito Foods from start to finish.
Reduce Your Risk of Infection
The FDA has issued a statement that consumers should not eat any fresh cut melon products or melon containing products that were recalled by Caito Foods. You should review the list of states the product has been distributed to and the list of retailers that are selling the product to better decide whether or not you’ve purchased a contaminated product. If you have purchased one of the recalled products, you should immediately throw out the product or return it to the retailer you purchased it from. Retailers and restaurants should throw out all recalled product that could possibly be contaminated as well.
Anyone can contract a Salmonella infection. Those who are more likely to contract an infection are infants, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems. The symptoms of a Salmonella infection are usually diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. For infections like Salmonella, most healthy individuals are able to recover from the infection within a week and may not even realize they were infected. Others cannot eliminate the infection on their own, and these infections can become severe and lead to hospitalization.
Food safety is extremely important, and knowledge of food safety practices can reduce and often eliminate the occurrences of food-borne illnesses. Safe food handling should not only occur in restaurants and retail but also by consumers. It is good practice to wash your hands before preparing and consuming foods. Sanitizing food prep surfaces and utensils used for preparing foods can significantly decrease the risk of food contamination. Cleaning surfaces after food preparation is also important.
Both the FDA and CDC are updating their websites as they gather new information on this outbreak. If you believe you have been infected, contact your health care provider and receive treatment if recommended.
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