Cantaloupe listeria outbreak is deadliest in a decade

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JBloggs

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Cantaloupe listeria outbreak is deadliest in a decade
[/h1]

The Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupes from Jensen Farms, Colo., were shipped from July 29 through Sept. 10 to 25 states, including Virginia. >>> The recalled cantaloupe may be labeled 'Colorado Grown,' 'Distributed by Frontera Produce,' 'Jensenfarms.com' or 'Sweet Rocky Fords.' Not all of the recalled cantaloupes are labeled with a sticker.[/h4]
http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/298983

 
I just called the grocery store and he said our state didn't get any of these melons, of course the article states otherwise. I might just throw them out to be safe. Dang it, now i need to go find alternatives for a full house beginning tomorrow.
 
So, question- can this be washed off the outside or is it INSIDE, the actual edible part that is contaminated? It doesn't look as if any of the bad ones were shipped here, but that does not mean a resupplier didn't ship them in.
We wash all the fruits and veggies before cutting into them and then wash all the utensils, but does that help? (The CDC prevention site only said 'wash all fruits & veggies' but that doesn't answer the question of whether or not this is strictly on the surface of the produce or not.)
 
So, question- can this be washed off the outside or is it INSIDE, the actual edible part that is contaminated? It doesn't look as if any of the bad ones were shipped here, but that does not mean a resupplier didn't ship them in.
We wash all the fruits and veggies before cutting into them and then wash all the utensils, but does that help? (The CDC prevention site only said 'wash all fruits & veggies' but that doesn't answer the question of whether or not this is strictly on the surface of the produce or not.).
The listeria is on the outside, not on the edible fruit inside. The tricky part is how do you cut into the melon without cross-contaminating. You can cut the rind off of the entire melon, wash the whole fruit, then cut up the fruit separately, making sure you use a fresh knife and cutting surface. I've been cutting mine and storing in a ziploc. Our health department says we have to label the date it was cut and use it up within 3 days.
 
"When in doubt throw it out"
I am tossin' my melons. I don't want to have a guest question them in the least.
 
Luckily we have had very few of these outbreaks hitting us, around here. But I am starting to get upset at how these large corporations act when it happens, sometimes waiting before they publicly announce they found a problem. One company in Canada had 23 dead to answer for goo.gl/FmQ0g. The company paid out $27 million in lawsuit settlements and if you ask me, it wasn't enough, by half. They need to take notice and $27 million for a company with a Market value over $1B just seems piddling.
It's cause a lot of changes in how food is handled, especially at deli counters. At cheese shops each cheese now has it's own knife, so there is no cross contamination from one cheese to another.
Why throw them out? Bring them back to the grocery store. I don't throw out good money. And frankly, the company should be losing the money, not you!
 
http://www.marlerclark.com/listeria-cantaloupe-lawyer-colorado-texas-nebraska/
This is a good place for information. Yes, I realize that it's a plaintiff firm, but I worked many years in the insurance industry (even had a few cases with claimants represented by this firm), and had the utmost respect for these people. They know their stuff. They even have a section of their firm that 'educates' the food industry.
 
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