Whole Cantaloupe Recall: 224 Cases of Fruit Removed From Stores Due to Potential Salmonella Outbreak

Melon season is almost over, and while these fruits make a great addition to a fruit salad, leaving one variety out for the time being may be good for your health. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a cantaloupe recall on September 6 due to a potential salmonella outbreak. Keep reading to learn more about the contamination and how you can keep yourself healthy and safe. 

Recent cantaloupe recall due to salmonella 

Eagle Produce LLC, a company based in Arizona, alongside the FDA recently recalled whole cantaloupes in five states because they could be potentially contaminated with salmonella. 

The fruit was distributed and sold from August 13-17 in Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Texas and Virginia. According to the FDA, “the cantaloupes are identified with a red and white sticker with KANDY across the top and UPC number code, 4050.”  

In total, 224 cases of cantaloupes were recalled, and no other products were affected by this decision.  

The FDA urges people to not consume any cantaloupe they bought from the brand during this time and throw any affected fruit away.  

What is salmonella? 

Testing done by the State of Michigan revealed that the cantaloupe was recalled due to salmonella. 

 “Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems,” notes the FDA. Symptoms can include fever, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea and pain in the stomach. “In rare cases the organism can get into the bloodstream and produce more severe illness such as arterial infections (i.e. infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis,” adds the FDA. 

No one has reported any illness from the cantaloupe recall.  

Eagle Produce has recalled cantaloupe previously  

Whole cantaloupes from Eagle Produce were also recalled last September. Similarly, the cantaloupes were found with possible salmonella contaminants.  

The recall was also more severe last year as 6,456 cases were taken off shelves in 19 states. Stores in California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. all removed cantaloupe products.  

Cantaloupe has a variety of health benefits 

When cantaloupe is safe to eat, it can be great for your overall health and wellbeing. One cup of cantaloupe chunks is only about 50 calories, has almost two grams of fiber and can help with hydration due to its high water content, per the USDA. It’s made up of 90 percent water which will help you reach your daily hydration needs. 

This fruit is also full of vitamins including vitamin A which is great for the immune system vision and reproductive health and vitamin C which is also beneficial for immunity and is effective against asthma and diabetes. 

 Since cantaloupe is in the yellow-orange family of fruits, it has a ton of beta-carotene as well with higher content than oranges, peaches or nectarines. It’s incredibly important for healthy blood cells and can be good for eye health.  

This is a great fruit to include as part of a balanced diet, but it’s important to check for product recalls, safety alerts and contaminants to protect yourself.  

For more food recall news

Why Are There So Many Food Recalls Lately? Food Safety Amid Uptick

Perdue Recalls Over 167K Pounds of Chicken Products: What You Need to Know

Walmart Apple Juice Recall Expanded to 133,500 Cases Due to Arsenic: Updates