Death Toll Rises From Listeria Outbreak
September 20, 2011
UPDATE OCT. 6: 18 Deaths Reported In Listeria Outbreak
According to a recent report from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, 100 people have become infected with Listeria. Reports of the illnesses began around July 31. The people who fell ill are from the following states; Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Eighteen deaths have been reported.
On Sept. 14, FDA issued a press release to announce that Jensen Farms in Colorado issued a voluntary recall of its Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupes after being linked to a multistate outbreak of listeriosis.
Although Jensen Farms voluntarily recalled Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupes nearly six weeks ago, and the recalled cantaloupe should be off store shelves, more ill persons may be reported because of the time lag between diagnosis and laboratory confirmation and also because up to two months can elapse between eating contaminated food and developing listeriosis.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Click here for more information.
UPDATE: SEPT. 29: As previously reported, FDA has found Listeria monocytogens in samples collected from Jensen Farms Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupe in Denver, CO. In response, Jensen Farms voluntarily recalled its Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupes on Sept. 14, but the domino effect of companies affected has begun.
Most recently, Carol’s Cuts LLC, a food processor located in Kansas City, KS, has had to recall 594 pounds of fresh cut cantaloupe, which it uses as an ingredient in mixed fruit medleys. These medleys were distributed mid-to-late August to institutional food customers and restaurants in Overland Park and Kansas City, KS, as well as Maryland Heights, MO, and Omaha, NE.
Source: FDA press release
SEPT. 22, 2011 — FDA has found Listeria monocytogenes in samples of Jensen Farms’ Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupe taken from a Denver, CO-area store and on samples taken from equipment and cantaloupe at the Jensen Farms’ packing facility. Tests confirmed that the Listeria monocytogenes found in the samples matches one of the three different strains of Listeria monocytogenes associated with the multi-state outbreak of listeriosis.
Jensen Farms recalled its Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupes on Sept. 14 in response to the multi-state outbreak of listeriosis. Cantaloupes from other farms in Colorado, including farms in the Rocky Ford growing area, have not been linked to this outbreak.
To date, the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention report that 35 people in 10 states have been infected with the outbreak strains of Listeria monocytogenes. Four people have died.
FDA investigators collected cantaloupes and environmental samples from a Denver-area store and from the Jensen Farms packing facility in Granada, CO, after Colorado state health officials identified Jensen Farms’ Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupes as the common food eaten by several listeriosis patients.
Jensen Farms, based in Holly, CO, is cooperating with FDA and state officials in Colorado. The company is working with federal and state authorities to ensure the recalled cantaloupes are promptly removed from the marketplace. Jensen Farms is also helping federal and state authorities determine the root cause of how the cantaloupes became contaminated.
The FDA’s root-cause investigation and environmental assessment includes FDA and state of Colorado microbiologists, environmental health specialists, veterinarians, and investigative officers. The experts conducting the assessment will analyze the evidence, determine the most likely cause of contamination, and identify potential controls to help prevent contamination in the future.
Jensen Farms shipped the recalled cantaloupes from July 29 through Sept. 10 to at least 17 states with possible further distribution.
To find out more about the recalled products, including product labels: www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm271879.htm.
Source: FDA press release