Fruit Recalled After Possible Salmonella Contamination

If you're a fan of fruit packages with cantaloupe, you might want to check the label on your latest before eating. Earlier this week, Liberty Fruit Company, Inc. recalled some packaged cantaloupes after discovering the fruit may have been contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled products were sent to retail stores and food service operations in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska.

The recall covers the 4-, 8-, and 32-ounce packages sold to consumers and five-pound packages sent to foodservice operations. The containers are marked Fruit Medley, Fruit Tray, Fruit Salad, Cantaloupe Chunks, Hawaiian Bend, and Melon Medley. These packages have expiration dates from March 21 to March 26, 2022.

Each product is marketed under the Liberty Fruit Co., Inc. or Carol's Cuts labels. The UPC codes are: 886810710052, 886810710250, 886810710076, 886810710120, 886810710014, 886810710069, 886810060560, 886810060591, 886810060546, 886810710403, 886810710410, 886810710793, 886810710502, 886810710762, 886810710724, 886810974263, 886810710809, 886810731002, and 886810731019.

The potential Salmonella contamination was discovered after routine sampling and analysis by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. One of their tests came up positive. There have been no reported illnesses linked to the issue, but consumers who have the products should not eat them. Consumers with questions can call the company at (913) 281-5200.

Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious or fatal infections in young children, elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems. Even a healthy person could experience "experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain," according to the FDA. In rare cases, a Salmonella infection could allow the organism to get into the bloodstream. This could lead to severe illnesses like "arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis."

An extreme case of a Salmonella outbreak came in January when there were 44 confirmed cases in 25 states. The CDC said the outbreak was linked to bearded dragons. The cases involved people between 1-year-old to 84 years old who were infected with Salmonella Uganda. There were 15 hospitalizations. "You can get sick from touching your bearded dragon or anything in its environment and then touching your mouth and swallowing Salmonella germs," the CDC warned. 

Salmonella outbreaks are commonly linked to food. In December, Taylor Fresh Foods Inc. voluntarily recalled some of its salad products in Canada because of possible Salmonella contamination. The affected products were sold in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario. In 2019, Pillsbury Flour was recalled because it was possibly contaminated.