The cantaloupe Salmonella outbreak that ended in January included four deaths in Minnesota, one in Oregon, and one in Indiana, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In Canada, seven deaths were reported.
“The number of fatalities is unusually high,” said Food Safety Attorney Eric Hageman whose law firm Pritzker Hageman is representing people sickened in the outbreak. The outbreak was linked to Salmonella Oranienburg and Salmonella Sundsvall, a rare strain that causes severe illness, said Hageman, who is also the Publisher of Food Poisoning Bulletin. 
The hospitalization rate was also higher than average. The outbreak, linked to Malichita and Rudy brand cantaloupe imported from Mexico, ended on January 19 with 407 illnesses, 158 hospitalizations, and six deaths. In Canada, 164 illnesses, 61 hospitalizations, and seven deaths were reported.
Recalls were issued for the whole and cut melon sold at stores including Walmart, Sam’s Club, Kroger, Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, ALDI, and Kwik Trip.
During the investigation, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) collected and tested cantaloupe samples. Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) confirmed that the strain found in the cantaloupe was the same one cultured from outbreak patients.
Symptoms of a Salmonella infection including nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhea usually develop within six to 72 hours of exposure. The patients sickened in this outbreak, who ranged in age from 1 to 100 years old, became ill between October 15, 2023, to December 25, 2023.
If you have been sickened with a Salmonella food poisoning infection, please contact our experienced attorneys for help with a possible lawsuit at 1-888-377-8900 or text us at 612-261-0856. Our firm represents clients in lawsuits against grocery stores, restaurants, and food processors, and families in wrongful death cases.
