Personal Injury Law

Third Party Testing Fails In Latest Slow-Moving Cantaloupe Recall

By Marler Clark LLP

Melon Acres has recalled cantaloupes distributed through Farm-Wey Produce of Lakeland, FL due to possible salmonella contamination.

The cantaloupes were shipped August 13th and 14th and were identified as 41 MG 10, Bin Numbers 4753-4980. These bins were distributed to Aldi's in Greenwood, Indiana and Meijer in Lansing, Michigan, Newport, Michigan, and Tipp City, Ohio.

The recall was issued following a testing on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that revealed one out of twenty cantaloupes tested positive for Salmonella. The FDA reported the positive test to Melon Acres on Friday, August 21, 2009.

Why it has taken another eight days to recall the melons was a question not answered by the company press release issued on the FDA's website.

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

As of this date, there have been no reports of illness. Further, the FDA and Melon Acres identified the field in which the contaminated sample was grown. No further shipments will be made from the source field. Melon Acres is currently working with the FDA to identify the source of contamination.

On August 7th, Primus Labs, a third party food safety auditing firm specializing in produce, inspected Melon Acres' fields and facilities regarding its food safety practices. Melon Acres received grades of excellent/good respectively, in this audit.

Full post as published by Salmonella Blog on August 29, 2009 (boomark / email).