Deadly Cantaloupe Outbreak Kills 3, Hospitalizes 80 and Sickens 183

The updated number in the United States:

• Illnesses: 117

• Hospitalizations: 61

• Deaths: 2

• States: 34

In Canada the numbers have been just updated – on December 1, 2023 it was 66 sick, 19 hospitalized and 1 death.

Since the last update on November 24, 18 more illnesses have been reported. As of November 28, 117 people infected with one of the outbreak strains of Salmonella have been reported from 34 states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from October 17, 2023, to November 14, 2023. Of 103 people with information available, 61 (59%) have been hospitalized. Two deaths have been reported from Minnesota. States impacted and the number of ill: Alaska 1, Arkansas 1, Arizona 7, California 1, Colorado 3, Georgia 3, Iowa 5, Illinois 6, Indiana 2, Kansas 1, Kentucky 5, Massachusetts 1, Maryland 1, Michigan 1, Minnesota 14, Missouri 9, Mississippi 1, North Carolina 2, Nebraska 4, New Jersey 3, Nevada 2, New York2, Ohio 8, Oklahoma 2, Oregon 2, Pennsylvania 1, Rhode Island 1, South Carolina 3, Tennessee 4, Texas 5, Utah 3, Virginia 2, Washington 1, Wisconsin 10.

As of December 1, there have been 66 laboratory-confirmed cases of SalmonellaSoahanina, Sundsvall and Oranienburg illness linked to this outbreak in the following provinces: British Columbia (13), Ontario (13), Quebec (35), Prince Edward Island (2), New Brunswick (1), and Newfoundland and Labrador (2). Additional Salmonellainfections are under investigation and more illnesses associated with this outbreak may be confirmed. Individuals became sick between mid-October and mid-November 2023. Nineteen individuals have been hospitalized. One death has been reported. Individuals who became ill are between 0 to 100 years of age. The majority of the individuals who became sick are children 5 years of age or younger (39%), or adults 65 years of age or older (39%). Half of the cases (50%) are male.

On November 22, 2023, more recalls for whole and pre-cut cantaloupes were issued. Trufresh expanded their recall again to include all Malichita brand and Rudy brand whole cantaloupes. Crown Jewels recalled Malitchita brand whole cantaloupes. CF Dallas recalled pre-cut fruit products containing recalled cantaloupes.

CFIA issued food recall warnings on November 1, November 14 and November 17 for Malichita brand cantaloupes sold between October 11 and November 14, 2023. On November 24, 2023, CFIA updated the food recall warning to also include Rudy brand cantaloupes sold between October 10 and November 24, 2023. Additional secondary recalls have been issued for products that were made using recalled cantaloupes and for produce items that were processed alongside recalled cantaloupes. 

Through the CFIA investigation the outbreak strains of Salmonella that made people sick were found in samples of the recalled Malichita brand cantaloupe.

More recent illnesses may be reported in the outbreak because there is a period between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported to public health officials. For this outbreak, the illness reporting period is between 2 and 4 weeks.

On November 1, 2023, Malichita brand cantaloupes were recalled in Canada.

On November 8, Trufresh recalled Malichita brand whole cantaloupes that were sold to US businesses between October 16 and October 23. On November 15, Trufresh expanded their recall to include additional whole cantaloupes.

Additional products containing Malichita brand cantaloupes were also recalled. On November 14, Vinyard Fruit and Vegetable Company recalled pre-cut fruit products and ALDI recalled [PDF – 2 pages] its whole cantaloupe, cantaloupe chunks, and pineapple spears.

CDC is advising people not to eat, sell, or serve recalled fruit.

Salmonella: Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Salmonella outbreaks. The Salmonella lawyers of Marler Clarkhave represented thousands of victims of Salmonella and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $850 million for clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation. Our Salmonella lawyers have litigated Salmonella cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of foods, such as cantaloupe, tomatoes, ground turkey, salami, sprouts, cereal, peanut butter, and food served in restaurants. The law firm has brought Salmonella lawsuits against such companies as Cargill, ConAgra, Peanut Corporation of America, Sheetz, Taco Bell, Subway and Wal-Mart. 

If you or a family member became ill with a Salmonella infection, including Reactive Arthritis or Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark Salmonella attorneys for a free case evaluation.

Republished with permission from Bill Marler and Marler Clark. Copyright (c) Marler Clark LLP, PS. All rights reserved.