More sick in outbreak linked to fresh melon sold by Walmart, Kroger, others

An outbreak of Salmonella linked to pre-cut fresh melon continues to grow, with 117 people across 10 states confirmed with infections. More than a third of the patients have required hospitalization.

Public health officials are urging consumers to not eat the pre-cut fresh melon products listed in the chart below because of the risk of contracting Salmonella Carrau infections. The FDA and CDC say the melon should be discarded. Consumers who have such products in their homes but are not sure of the brand or where the melon was purchased should throw it out. 

Traceback evidence indicates imported melon that was processed, packaged and distributed by Caito Foods LLC of Indianapolis is the likely source, according to the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agencies updated their outbreak reports Wednesday. The company posted a recall of some of its fresh melon products on April 12.

“In interviews, ill people answered questions about the foods they ate and other exposures in the week before they became ill,” according to the CDC’s outbreak update. 

“Forty-six (73 percent) of 63 people interviewed reported eating pre-cut melons purchased at grocery stores, including pre-cut cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew, or a fruit salad mix or fruit tray with melon. Five additional people reported eating pre-cut melon outside the home. Information collected from stores where ill people shopped indicates that Caito Foods LLC supplied pre-cut melon to these stores.”

Information collected from stores where ill people shopped indicates that Caito Foods LLC supplied pre-cut melon to the stores, according to the CDC and FDA.

Products recalled in relation to the current outbreak include pre-cut watermelon, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, and pre-cut fruit medley products containing any one of these types of melon.

It is the second outbreak involving freshcut melon from Caito Foods in less than a year. 

In 2018 there were 77 people across nine states confirmed with Salmonella Adelaide infections traced to pre-cut melon from the Indianapolis company. No deaths were reported in the 2018 outbreak, according to the CDC. Of the 70 patients in the 2018 outbreak for whom the information was available, 36 required hospitalization.  

Many of the same retailers that received the implicated melon from Caito in 2018 also received the company’s melon linked to this year’s outbreak. Retailers named as of this week that received the fruit associated with the current outbreak, and the brands they sold it under, are:

• Kroger under the Renaissance Food Group Label
• Kroger under Boar’s Head Private Label
• Target under the Garden Highway Label
• Trader Joes under the Trader Joes Label
• Walmart under a Freshness Guaranteed Label
• Amazon/Whole Foods under the Whole Foods Market Label  

No deaths have been confirmed in the current outbreak, but 36 percent of patients for whom the information is available have been admitted to hospitals. The sick people range in age from less than one to 98 years old, with a median age of 53. The multistate investigation began on April 2 when the CDC’s PulseNet identified the outbreak through whole genome sequencing, also known as DNA fingerprinting.

The first confirmed patient in this year’s outbreak became ill on March 4, according to the CDC. The most recent patient began showing symptoms on April 8. Additional people are expected to be identified as outbreak victims because it can take an average of four weeks after a person becomes sick before they are added to the CDC’s case count, according to the federal agency.

The pre-cut melon products were packaged in clear, plastic clamshell containers and distributed in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, according to the FDA outbreak report.

“Caito Foods LLC temporarily suspended producing and distributing these products,” according to the FDA. “Salmonella Carrau is a rare type of Salmonella but has been historically seen in imported melons. Reports from Caito Foods LLC indicate that imported melons were used in the suspect pre-cut melon products.

“FDA and Indiana authorities continue to inspect and investigate the Caito Foods LLC processing facility where these melons were cut and packed, including collecting samples for laboratory analysis. FDA is also continuing its traceback investigation, examining shipping records to try to identify the specific source of these melons.”

As per its new policy of sometimes providing lists of retailers where recalled foods were sold, the FDA has posted a list of retail establishments that may have sold the implicated melon products.

In addition to Caito Foods, two other companies distributed the recalled melon, the FDA reported. Some restaurants across the country received melon from the distribution companies. State and federal officials are urging restaurant owners and other foodservice operators to check their logs and discard pre-cut melon products from:

• Caito Foods Distribution with the label “Distributed by Caito Foods”
• Gordon Food Service with the label “Distributed by Caito Foods”
• SpartanNash Distribution with the label “Open Acres”

As of Wednesday, confirmed patients had been reported in Alabama, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Products recalled by Caito Foods in connection with the current Salmonella Carrau outbreak are:

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