Washingtoner - Food Safety Attorney, Bill Marler, calls for import restrictions on Mexican Cantaloupe USA - English USA - español

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SEATTLE, Nov. 28, 2023 ~ The U.S. and Canadian health officials have reported a total of 162 people infected with Salmonella, including 62 hospitalized with three deaths, all linked to the consumption of cantaloupe imported from Mexico.

In the U.S., as of November 24, 99 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella have been reported from 32 states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from October 17, 2023, to November 10, 2023. Of 77 people with information available, 45 have been hospitalized and two deaths have been reported from Minnesota. In Canada as of November 24, there have been 63 laboratory-confirmed cases of Salmonella in six provinces. Individuals became sick between mid-October and mid-November 2023 and seventeen individuals have been hospitalized with one death reported.

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The FDA has issued a recall for whole fresh cantaloupes with a label on the cantaloupe that says "Malichita" or "Rudy", "4050", and "Product of Mexico/produit du Mexique." Retailers and wholesalers would have received recalled whole melons from Crown Jewels Produce in boxes labeled "Malachita/Z Farms" or from Sofia Produce doing business as TruFresh in boxes labeled "Malichita" or "Rudy." Additional secondary recalls have been issued for products that were made using recalled cantaloupes and for produce items that were processed alongside recalled cantaloupes.

Food safety attorney William "Bill" Marler has commented on the outbreak saying "In the U.S., the FDA should use its authority under the Food Safety Modernization Act to stop Mexican cantaloupe imports until the 'root cause' of the outbreak has been determined." Marler has worked as a food safety lawyer and advocate since 1993 when he was involved in the Jack-in-the-Box E. coli Outbreak which was chronicled in the book "Poisoned" and in a Netflix documentary by the same name. His work has also been profiled in various publications such as The New Yorker, The Seattle Times, The Washington Post among others.

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