The Salmonella Carrau outbreak linked to precut melons produced by Caito Foods has sickened at least 93 people. The Salmonella contaminated precut melons were sold at Kroger, Target, Trader Joes, Amazon/Whole Foods, Walmart stores, and independent grocery stores in several states under several different brand names.
Caito Foods recalled precut melons in many different combinations and iterations on April 12, 2019, the day the outbreak was announced by the FDA and CDC. These products were sold in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The outbreak states line up with where the melon was available: people are sick in Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
The recalled products include cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon chunks and spears, fruit platters, fruit bowls, and fruit salads. They were sold under several different brand names at each store.
- At Kroger the melons were sold under Renaissance Food Group and Boar’s Head labels.
- The Garden Highway label was used at Target.
- Trader Joes used the Trader Joes label
- Walmart used the Freshness Guaranteed Label
- Amazon/Whole Foods sold the melons under the Whole Foods Market label.
You can contact lawyer Fred Pritzker for help at 1-888-377-8900 or 612-338-0202.
Food safety attorney Fred Pritzker said, “This is not the first time that Caito Foods has been linked to a melon Salmonella outbreak. In 2018, a Salmonella Adelaide outbreak that sickened at least 77 people was caused by precut melons produced by Caito Foods. No one should get sick because they purchased fresh fruit at a grocery store.”
It’s important that you check your refrigerator to make sure you do not have these potentially Salmonella contaminated precut melons in your home. Ready-to-eat foods such as precut fruit can be a risk for food poisoning, especially when so much produce from around the country and the world is processed at central facilities.
The symptoms of a Salmonella infection include a fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea. Most people get sick within a few hours to a few days after exposure. And while most people recover without medical treatment, long term complications from this illness, including reactive arthritis, high blood pressure, and endocarditis, can affect anyone.
