Cantaloupe Salmonella Litchfield Outbreak, 2008 - Nationwide
In March of 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that a Salmonella outbreak had been identified among residents of Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin. In all, 50 people had been linked to the outbreak; 14 were hospitalized.
According to FDA, the implicated cantaloupe came from Agropecuaria Montelibano, a growing and packing company in Honduras. If consumers purchased melons indicating they were grown by this company, they should throw the cantaloupes away.
Cantaloupe has been associated with past Salmonella outbreaks (see the News Archives). FDA and CDC have published guidelines for preventing foodborne illness from cantaloupes, which include scrubbing whole cantaloupes by using a clean produce brush and cool tap water immediately before eating. Do not use soap or detergent.