Burch Farms of North Carolina is recalling 580 cases of cantaloupe because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. This is reminiscent of the Jensen Farms cantaloupe Listeria outbreak last year that sickened more than 100 people. But no one has reported illnesses associated with this new recall.
The whole Athena cantaloupes were shipped on July 15, 2012 to New York. The fruits have a red label with “Burch Farms”. Anyone who has purchased any of these cantaloupes should discard them. Hannaford Supermarkets is one chain that has announced it has received the cantaloupe.
Hannaford has removed the melons from store shelves. The recalled cantaloupes from that store have stickers with “Cantaloupe PLU 4319”.
Symptoms of listeriosis, the illness caused by Listeria bacteria, include fever, muscles aches, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Those in high risk groups can suffer serious complications from the illness. Pregnant women may have mild symptoms but can suffer stillbirth, miscarriage, or premature delivery.
