Burch Equipment LLC of North Carolina is expanding its recall of Caribbean Gold melons to include all of this growing season’s cantaloupes and honeydew melons that remain on the market because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The melons originally tested positive for the bacteria at the end of July. The recall was expanded last week after an FDA inspection found unsanitary conditions at the facility’s packing shed. Then the company announced that the original recall, for Athena melons, was incorrect, and that the type of melon actually recalled is Caribbean Gold.
The whole cantaloupes have a red label reading “Burch Farms” with PLU # 4319. Some of the cantaloupes may have the sticker “Cottle Strawberry, Inc.” with PLU # 4319. Cottle Strawberry did not grow or process the melons involved in this recall. The cantaloupes were shipped in both corrugated boxes, with nine melons per box, and in bulk bins.
The melons were sold to distributors between June 23 and July 27, 2012 in these states: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, Vermont, and West Virginia. The fruit may have been distributed to retail stores, restaurants, and food service facilities in other states.
No illnesses have been reported to date, but Listeria monocytogenes can take up to 70 after exposure to produce symptoms. The symptoms of listeriosis include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Pregnant women may have only mild symptoms, but the bacteria can cause stillbirth and miscarriage.
The recall is being expanded because the FDA found Listeria monocytogenes on a honeydew melon grown and packed by Burch. For questions, call Burch Equipment LLC at 910-267-5781 Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm EST.
