The outbreak of salmonella from eating tainted cantaloupe continues in the U.S. and Canada. There have been 8 fatalities as of December 8, even as food safety lawyers initiate an anti-trust lawsuit.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported  230 infections in the U.S. by December 8, 96 of whom in hospital.

Canada also imported the tainted cantaloupe from “Trufresh,” a result of which were 129 cases and 44 hospitalizations.

The salmonella strain that has affected cut cantaloupe is S. Sundsvall, which spreads fast through food poisoning.

How Did it Begin?

From November 1 onward, people in various U.S. states and Canada  started complaining of illnesses after eating cantaloupes. 

In the interim, CDC’s investigations revealed that 78 of the 105 cases it examined had direct links with cantaloupe consumption. 

On November 30,  the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that Cut Fruit Express had recalled mixed cantaloupe chunks.. On December, TGD Cuts LLC also recalled its fruit cups which had “Trufresh” cantaloupes among their ingredients. 

In Canada, 6 provinces out of the total 10 have steadily reported infections, beginning November 1. The alarming trend initiated cantaloupe recalls by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in early November. 

Canadian authorities attributed the salmonella outbreak to Malichita and Rudy brands of cantaloupe by “Trufresh.”On November 22, the company finally recalled the two branded cantaloupes from the North American market. 

A Lawsuit Emerges

This week, the parents of an infected 13-month old American baby contracted Pritzer Hageman food safety attorneys to litigate. The baby ate cantaloupe at Sam’s Club store and developed diarrhoea and fever.

The litigant, Sofia Produce, popular as “Trufresh,” had already recalled its Malichita and Rudy cantaloupes before the litigation. 

Ray Trueblood, the attorney representing the baby’s family said that the food firm did not adhere to “basic food safety procedures,” 

What to Eat and Not Eat

FDA updated the list of branded cantaloupe products that are off limit to U.S. consumers on December 7, as follows:

• ALDI’s cut cantaloupe and pineapple spears with expiry dates of between October 27 and 31.
• Cut Fruit Express’ Caribou Coffee Fruit Mix CHPG 6.5 oz under the brand name “Fruit Mix,” as they contain cantaloupe.
• TGD Cuts LLC’s fresh-cut fruit cup and tray offers, which have cantaloupe ingredients.
• Various brands’s fruit products including by Vinyard, KwikTrip, Bix Produce and GHGA. Those by GHGA additionally fall into sales branding of Trader Joe’s and Sprouts Farmers Market.

The above branded products might contain salmonella-infected cantaloupe, hence FDA’s caution. 

What is Salmonella?

Salmonella is a bacterium that thrives on the gut of the host and often gets ingested through food poisoning. It often causes life-threatening infections in toddlers and elderly people as well as on adults with low disease immunity. 

 The symptoms of salmonella infection are fever, stomach cramps and diarrhoea whose onset is 72 hours after food poisoning. 

Cantaloupe

Cantaloupe is a juicy melon with sweet taste. It is a popular treat in summer due to its refreshing quality. It has 90% water and thus a common inclusion in fruit smoothies and pies to ameliorate texture.