Salmonella Outbreak from Cantaloupe Now Linked to 8 Deaths in the U.S. and Canada

At the end of last month, we covered the cantaloupe recall with affected products sold under multiple labels. At that time, the CDC reported 99 illnesses, 45 hospitalizations, and two deaths from contaminated fruit.

Unfortunately, those numbers have risen, and there’s a concern that the salmonella-contaminated fruit will continue to cause harm. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has created a dedicated page with information about the outbreak. The government agency reports that there has been one additional death in the United States, bringing the total to three. Canada reports five deaths and dozens of hospitalizations where the “level of illness severity is higher than expected for salmonella.”

To date, the CDC reports 230 illnesses, 96 hospitalizations, and three deaths in the United States. It also said that people in long-term care facilities and childcare centers have gotten sick. 

The government agency has now issued the following warning: 

Cantaloupe Products Recalled for Salmonella

Whole cantaloupes sold under the brand names “Malichita” or “Rudy” with the number “4050” and “Product of Mexico/produit du Mexique” are identified as the fruit with salmonella. Those whole cantaloupes were recalled, but not before various companies created a large number of cut fruit products from them. The recall covers both those whole cantaloupes and their resulting cut fruit products. 

The recall is long, and you can view the ones first identified in our initial report published on Nov. 28. Since then, the FDA has added more cut fruit products to its recall page and four additional affected states, bringing the number of states affected to 38. 

• On Dec. 5, TGD Cuts, LLC announced recalls of dozens of certain fresh-cut fruit cup, clamshell, and tray products sold to retail and food service locations in Maryland, D.C., Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The full list of recalled products and the information to identify them are on this FDA page. 
• On Nov. 29, fruit cups and trays containing cantaloupe sold at Kroger, Sprouts, and Trader Joe’s were recalled, affecting Kroger stores in Alabama and Georgia, Sprouts stores in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, and Trader Joe’s retail stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The complete list of recalled products and the information to identify them are on this FDA page.

The CDC’s Advice for Consumers 

The CDC offers the following advice for consumers regarding this cantaloupe recall and the severity of the salmonella contamination.

• Consumers should not eat any recalled whole or pre-cut cantaloupe products or any cantaloupe products if they don’t know if they are part of the recall.
• When purchasing cantaloupe, if there is no sticker, check with the store to ensure it’s not the Malichita or Rudy brand.
• If you’ve had any recalled cantaloupe products in the home or your place of business, wash items and surfaces that may have touched the cantaloupe using hot, soapy water or a dishwasher.
• Call your healthcare provider if you have any severe salmonella symptoms, including diarrhea and a fever higher than 102 degrees F (39 degrees C), diarrhea for more than three days that is not improving, bloody diarrhea, vomiting that prohibits keeping liquids down, and signs of dehydration such as not peeing much, dry mouth and throat, or feeling dizzy when standing up.