Salmonella cantaloupe outbreak: Contaminated cantaloupes leave dozens ill or hospitalized, says FDA

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers not to consume several brands of cantaloupes due to salmonella fears. Salmonella-infected cantaloupes have now left 43 people ill, with 17 people needing hospitalization as of November 17. 

The FDA began posting notices of cantaloupe recalls earlier this month, with more added in the past several days. The recalls involve products provided by multiple companies under multiple brands including Crown Jewels Produce’s Malichita / Z Farms brands; CF Dallas, LLC’s Freshness Guaranteed and RaceTrac brands; Trufresh’s Malichita and Ruby brands; and Vinyard.

The recall notices can be found here: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6. 

Supermarket chain Aldi has also announced a recall of some of its cantaloupe products. The full details about which specific products are being recalled can be found in the links above. These latest recalls follow a recall of Kandy-branded cantaloupe in September.

Most of the more recently recalled products were sold or distributed between October and November 2023 and most are believed to already be expired. However, some consumers may have frozen the cantaloupe products for use at a later date. If consumed, the person could become infected with salmonella, which can cause illness and necessitate hospitalization. Salmonella poisoning can even lead to death.

It’s also important to note that as of this writing, the FDA’s investigation into the salmonella cantaloupe outbreak is ongoing, and more products could be recalled in the future. 

The FDA says consumers, restaurants, and retailers should not serve or eat any of the recalled cantaloupe, and they should check their freezers to make sure any of the recalled cantaloupes are not stored there. If you are in possession of a recalled cantaloupe, you should discard it immediately and thoroughly sanitize any surfaces that were in contact with it. If you cannot tell whether a cantaloupe is part of the recall, the FDA advises that you not eat it and instead dispose of it.