The Department for Public Health (DPH) is advising the public to discard any pre-cut melon or fruit salads after sixteen Kentuckians have tested positive with a strain of Salmonella Carrau. The national Salmonella outbreak has been linked by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention to pre-cut melon includes cantaloupe, watermelon, and honeydew.
State health officials say Caito Foods from Indianapolis, Indiana distributed the melon products and issued a recall notice Friday, April 12, for all pre-cut melon products distributed in the U.S. Officials indicate the label may not clearly indicate that the melon product is from Caito Foods so consumers should discard and not purchase, eat, sell or serve pre-cut melon products at this time. They note the recall does not include whole melons.
According to health officials, cases have been diagnosed in several states. No deaths have been reported in this outbreak, however, there is a higher than normal hospitalization rate for Salmonella infection.
Symptoms of Salmonella infection include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, which usually develop 12-72 hours after being exposed to the bacteria. Officials say the illness usually lasts 4-7 days and most healthy individuals recover without antibiotic treatment.
For the Food and Drug Administration’s list of stores and states where the recalled products, please click here.
