Are cantaloupes safe to eat? Deadly salmonella outbreak now over
Global News
The outbreak, which sent 68 Canadians to hospital between October and December last year, ended in January, Public Health Agency of Canada officials say in a health notice.
A deadly salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupes that killed nine Canadians appears to be over, health officials say.
The outbreak, which sent 68 Canadians to hospital between October and December last year, ended in January, Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) officials said in a health notice.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also declared an end to its outbreak on Jan. 19; six people died from it last year, and 158 people were hospitalized.
Investigation findings identified consumption of Malichita and Rudy brand cantaloupes as the likely source of the outbreak. The melons are grown in the Senora region of Mexico.
In December, Mexico’s Health Department ordered the temporary closure of a melon-packing plant implicated in salmonella infections. However, last month, Mexican authorities said tests were negative for traces of salmonella, but added that a new analysis of water, product and surface samples in production and packaging plants would be carried out this month.
PHAC said its investigation spread across nine provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued food recall warnings in November for Malichita brand cantaloupes sold between Oct. 11 and Nov. 14. On Nov. 24, the CFIA updated the food recall warning to also include Rudy brand cantaloupes sold between Oct. 10 and Nov. 24.
Additional secondary recalls were issued for products that were made using recalled cantaloupes, like fruit trays, and for produce that was processed alongside recalled cantaloupes such as honeydew, pineapple and watermelon.
