draggonlaady

For cantaloupe to start attacking people. Listeria again this year. I'd be much more heartbroken if it was watermelon, I admit, but still... I understand some of you folks actually like cantaloupe, so figured I should pass on the warning.

Last August, it was salmonella.

2011 was listeria, and an outbreak that took months to trace and sickened hundreds.

Hopefully this'll be the last thing I post about it.

Federal investigators have identified dirty equipment, faulty sanitation and bad storage practices at a Colorado farm as the likely cause of a cantaloupe listeria outbreak that has killed 25 people, [and] top U.S. food safety experts say there's one actor in this deadly drama that shouldn't be blamed: The consumer. . . . Federal Food and Drug Administration officials reported Wednesday that standing pools of water, inaccessible drains, hard-to-clean equipment and failure to cool cantaloupes fresh from the field before placing them in cold storage all likely contributed to the growth and spread of four strains of listeria bacteria at the Jensen Farms packing site in Granada, Colo.

FDA announced today that Carol’s Cuts LLC, Kansas food processor, is recalling 594 pounds of fresh cut cantaloupe packaged in 5-pound trays as chunks and as an ingredient in 8-ounce mixed fruit medley because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The Carol’s Cuts recall is part of a larger recall involving cantaloupe traced to Rocky Ford cantaloupes produced by Jensen Farms in Holly, Colorado.

Jenson Farms has recalled its cantaloupes after testing positive for the outbreak strain of Listeria. Other farms have so far tested negative.

Del Bueno of Grandview, Washington is recalling all 16oz. size packages of Queso Fresco Casero Fresh Cheese with a date stamp of September 14, 2011 because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. No illnesses associated; it was found during routine testing.

So a week ago, I posted that there's a listeria outbreak in Colorado. People were warned to avoid deli meats, unpasteurized dairy, etc. Turns out, this one goes to the fruits instead. Cantaloupe is (once again) making the news for making people sick. "Cantaloupe's always in the top five of fresh fruits and vegetables for outbreaks," says Doug Powell, professor and food safety expert at Kansas State University. For more info on why, go here.