According to USA Today and Food Safety News, California has had 73 cases of Salmonella Braenderup, and 67% of those people reported that they ate mangoes. Washington State has had six cases of Salmonella Braenderup that match the genetic fingerprint of the Canadian cases but has not yet linked them directly to the Mexican mangoes. Canada reports that mangoes are linked to 22 infections in Canada with Salmonella Braenderup.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) expanded the public warning issued on August 24, 2012, to include additional dates of sale affected by the recall. The CFIA and North American Produce Sales are warning the public not to consume the Daniella brand Mangoes described below because they may be contaminated with Salmonella Braenderup bacteria. The affected Daniella brand Mangoes, product of Mexico, were sold as individual fruit with a sticker bearing PLU# 4959 and other information. These mangoes were sold at various retail stores between July 12 and August 24, 2012. Consumers are advised to contact the retailer to find out if you have the affected mangoes. If you have illness symptoms or any health concerns possibly associated with these mangoes, please contact your family doctor. These mangoes may have been distributed in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon.

No illnesses are reported in association with the recall. No other Fresh Express products are being recalled.

The precautionary recall notification for the now-expired salad is being issued due to an isolated incident in which a sample of a singled package of 10 oz. Hearts of Romaine salad yielded a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes as part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's random sample testing program. Fresh Express is continuing to coordinate closely with regulatory officials.

The limited quantity of recalled product is identified with a Product Code beginning with "G222" and a Use-by Date of August 23, which is located in the upper right-hand corner of the package. In addition, the UPC Code of 71279 26102 is located on the back of the package below the barcode. The 10 oz. Hearts of Romaine was distributed in limited quantities to predominantly eastern and southeastern states.

The July health inspection found the club was storing fruit at temperatures that were too warm. In the letter, Grothaus said the club has purchased a new, refrigerated salad bar along with other refrigerated units to correct temperatures. Grothaus said the club has also voluntarily submitted its food and beverage staff to "specific testing procedures" and that the staff has been "screened and tested." Additionally, food handlers will undergo food safety classes. The letter states: "We take this situation very seriously and will remain focused on improving our performance."

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and North American Produce Sales are warning the public not to consume the Daniella Mangoes described below because they may be contaminated with Salmonella Braenderup bacteria.

The affected Mangoes, product of Mexico, were sold as individual fruit with a sticker bearing PLU# 4959 and other information. These mangoes were sold at various retail stores between July 12 and August 14, 2012.

These mangoes may have been distributed in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon.

There have been 22 confirmed illnesses associated with the consumption of these mangoes.

The importer, North American Produce Sales, Vancouver, BC is voluntarily recalling the affected mangoes from the marketplace.

Rudolph Foods said no bacteria was found on any product contact surfaces or in any finished products.

The pork rind maker expects to resume full production in one week once a thorough cleaning and retesting are complete.

Rudolph supplies salty snacks to Plano-based Frito-Lay sold under the Baken-Ets label.

Rudolph's Dallas plant is the snack manufacturer's largest packaging facility, capable of producing 15 million pounds of pork rinds per year. About 65 hourly workers will remain employed during the cleanup process.

Pinpointing a cause, if that’s possible, can take several weeks because of the detective work in piecing together what, if anything, each person had in common. Stool samples were sent to the state Department of Health lab in Albany to determine the exact strain of E. coli. Ellison said that symptoms of the first case were reported Aug. 6 and signs of the most recent were reported Sunday. The people sickened ranged in age from 22 to 67. In order to protect their privacy by not revealing any potentially identifying information, Ellison declined to give the ages of the ones who were hospitalized, whether there’s any relationship among the seven or where in the county they live.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and Hoffman Town & Country Meat Market of Detroit Lakes today issued a consumer advisory for whole-muscle turkey jerky after state investigators linked the product to four cases of illness caused by Salmonella bacteria.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) determined that there have been four cases of infection with the same strain of Salmonella in Minnesota residents. All four individuals reported eating turkey jerky during the week prior to becoming ill (onsets of illness from August 2 through August 7). One of the cases lives in the Twin Cities metro area, and three in Greater Minnesota. One of the cases was hospitalized, but all have recovered.

Hoffman Town & Country Meat Market has issued a voluntary recall of all whole-muscle turkey jerky product sold on or before August 21, 2012. This product was sold wrapped in white butcher paper. Consumers should not eat any product they still have on hand.

The product code and Use-By date are in the upper right-hand corner of the package; the UPC code is on the back of the package, below the barcode. The salads were distributed in eight U.S. states (Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Mississippi and Virginia). No illnesses have been reported in association with the recall. This recall notification is being issued due to an isolated instance in which a sample of Dole Italian Blend salad yielded a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes in a random sample test conducted by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture.

No other salads are included in the recall. Only the specific product codes, UPC codes and August 20, 2012 Use-By date identified above are included in the recall. Consumers who have any remaining product with this Product Code should not consume it, but rather discard it.

Although the product is 2 days past its Use-By date and it is highly unlikely that any product is still available at retail, retailers should check their inventories and store shelves to confirm that none of the product is mistakenly present or available for purchase by consumers or in warehouse inventories. Dole Fresh Vegetables customer service representatives are already contacting retailers and are in the process of confirming that the recalled product is not in the stream of commerce.

The CDC and FDA have reported that a total of 141 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium have been reported from 20 states. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (7), Arkansas (3), California (2), Georgia (1), Illinois (17), Indiana (13), Iowa (7), Kentucky (50), Michigan (6), Minnesota (3), Missouri (9), Mississippi (2), New Jersey (1), North Carolina (3), Ohio (3), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (3), Tennessee (6), Texas (1), and Wisconsin (2). 31 ill persons have been hospitalized. Two deaths have been reported in Kentucky.

Collaborative investigation efforts of state, local, and federal public health and regulatory agencies indicate that cantaloupe grown in southwestern Indiana is a likely source of this outbreak. As a result of the initial investigations by the state health departments in Indiana and Kentucky, a farm in southwestern Indiana has contacted its distributors, which reach outside Indiana into other states, and is withdrawing its cantaloupe from the market place. The farm has agreed to cease distributing cantaloupes for the rest of the growing season. Bloomberg News reported that Wal-Mart has been pulling cantaloupes grown in southwest Indiana from its stores.

A total of 2,095 cases of potentially affected product were distributed throughout the US and Canada starting on August 2. A total of 1,969 cases were shipped to the following states: AL, AR, AZ, CA, GA, KS, KY, MD, NC, NM, NV, NY, NJ, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA and Puerto Rico.

There are no reported illnesses associated with consumption of this product.

The recall is being conducted in consultation with FDA, and is based on the testing of a single random sample by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

The affected product was shipped in cases packed in either 12 or 18 heads per case. Retailers and Distributors can identify the affected products through a traceability code label affixed to exterior of the case. The traceability code label affixed to the exterior of the case is 5417802151. Tanimura and Antle’s #1 priority is food safety, and in an overabundance of caution we are asking that if any of the above Romaine is in the possession of consumers, retailers or distributors, the product be disposed of and not consumed.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public not to consume the Tanimura & Antle brand Romaine Lettuce described below because this product may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 bacteria.

The affected product, Tanimura & Antle brand Romaine Lettuce, produce of USA, is sold in a plastic package containing 1 head of lettuce. The package bears the UPC 0 27918. The affected product was sold at retail from August 8, 2012 through August 17, 2012.

This product has been distributed in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Nunavut and Yukon.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.

The CDC

Collaborative investigation efforts of state, local, and federal public health and regulatory agencies indicate that cantaloupe grown in southwestern Indiana is a likely source of this outbreak. As a result of the initial investigations by the state health departments in Indiana and Kentucky, a[n] UNNAMED farm in southwestern Indiana has contacted its distributors, which reach outside Indiana into other states, and is withdrawing its cantaloupe from the market place. The farm has agreed to cease distributing cantaloupes for the rest of the growing season.

Consumers who recently purchased cantaloupes grown in southwestern Indiana are advised not to eat them and discard any remaining cantaloupe. Based on the available information, consumers can continue to purchase and eat cantaloupes that did not originate in southwestern Indiana.

This is my favorite helpful hint to busy mom's and dad's:

Many cantaloupes have the growing area identified with a sticker on the fruit. If no sticker is present, consumers should inquire about the source. When in doubt, throw it out.

UNNAMED retailers and UNNAMED food service operators should not sell or serve cantaloupe grown in southwestern Indiana.

I appreciate that the CDC and FDA - and local and state health authorities - can count, but don't you think telling consumers where the cantaloupe was grown and where it was sold would be helpful?

Well, eventually, it will all become public.  A few cantaloupe examples:

• Del Monte Cantaloupe Salmonella Outbreak Lawsuit - Nationwide (2011)
• Susie Cantaloupe Salmonella Outbreak Lawsuit - Washington (2002)
• Viva Cantaloupe Salmonella Outbreak Lawsuit - Washington, California (2001)
• Jensen Farms Rocky Ford Cantaloupe Listeria Outbreak Lawsuits - Nationwide (2011)

According to press reports, A Kentucky outbreak of Salmonella has been pinpointed to produce from southwestern Indiana. Cantaloupes are connected to the statewide Salmonellosis Outbreak. The public is advised to avoid eating melons grown in southwestern Indiana.

The Department for Public Health (DPH) today reported that cantaloupes tested in the state public health laboratory carry the same strain of Salmonella associated with a statewide outbreak that health officials say is still ongoing.

The salmonellosis outbreak, which has sickened at least 50 Kentuckians and been associated with two deaths, began in early July. Through an epidemiological investigation and confirmatory lab testing, Kentucky public health officials determined that cantaloupes, which evidence indicates were grown in southwestern Indiana but purchased in Kentucky, carried the same strain of Salmonella determined to be the cause of an ongoing outbreak of infection. Salmonellosis cases caused by the outbreak strain have also been reported in other states. In addition, investigation is also continuing into other clusters of salmonella cases in Kentucky, which may be linked to cantaloupe or watermelon consumption.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is collaborating with public health officials in affected states and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate the ongoing outbreak, including tracing the source of the affected melons and shipments of melons that may have been contaminated. A likely source of the outbreak is cantaloupes grown in southwestern Indiana region and distributed to stores in Kentucky. No Kentucky-grown cantaloupes have been associated with this outbreak.

It is not like this has not happened before.

A total of 147 persons infected with any of the four (4) outbreak-associated strains of Listeria monocytogenes were reported to CDC from 28 states.  The number of infected persons identified in each state was as follows:  Alabama (1), Arkansas (1), California (4), Colorado (40), Idaho (2), Illinois (4), Indiana (3), Iowa (1), Kansas (11), Louisiana (2), Maryland (1), Missouri (7), Montana (2), Nebraska (6), Nevada (1), New Mexico (15), New York (2), North Dakota (2), Oklahoma (12), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (1), South Dakota (1), Texas (18), Utah (1), Virginia (1), West Virginia (1), Wisconsin (2), and Wyoming (4).

Among persons for whom information was available, reported illness onset ranged from July 31, 2011 through October 27, 2011.  Ages ranged from <1 to 96 years, with a median age of 77 years.  Most cases were over 60 years old.  Fifty-eight percent (58%) of cases were female.  Among the 144 ill persons with available information on whether they were hospitalized, 142 (99%) were hospitalized.

Thirty-one deaths were reported:  Colorado (8), Indiana (1), Kansas (3), Louisiana (2), Maryland (1), Missouri (3), Montana (1), Nebraska (1), New Mexico (5), New York (2), Oklahoma (1), Texas (2), and Wyoming (1).  Among persons who died, ages ranged from 48 to 96 years, with a median age of 82.5 years.  In addition, one (1) woman pregnant at the time of illness had a miscarriage.  Seven (7) of the illnesses were related to a pregnancy; three (3) were diagnosed in newborns and four (4) were diagnosed in pregnant women.

Although the 2011 outbreak was the first known Listeria outbreak associated with cantaloupe, cantaloupe outbreaks are by no means a new phenomenon.  Since 1985, in fact, there have been at least 15 recognized cantaloupe outbreaks in the US, from both domestically and internationally grown cantaloupes:

Initial fears that the bacterium involved at the 62-bed Blue Hill Care Center might be a Newport strain resistant to a broad range of antibiotics were receding by Thursday afternoon, said Michele Bever, executive director of the South Heartland District Health Department in Hastings. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services still was working toward a final determination on the effectiveness of antibiotics against the bacterial strain Thursday.

• 36-oz. trays of "El Torito Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad Kit."
• 18-lb. cases that contain eight (8) 36-oz. trays of "EL TORITO Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad Kit."

The products subject to recall bear the establishment number "P-4140" inside the USDA mark of inspection. The cases bear any of the following sell by dates: "08/23/12," "08/30/12," "09/06/12," or "09/14/12." The trays bear the same sell by dates in the following format: "082312," "083012," "090612," or "091412." Each case is also marked with an identifying item number of "24203." The products were produced between July 23, 2012, and August 6, 2012, and distributed to retail establishments in California.

Coral Beach of the Packer is on the Listeria Cantaloupe trail today.

Unsanitary Conditions and Positive Listeria Test

Burch Equipment LLC, doing business as Burch Farms, originally recalled about 5,200 cantaloupes July 28 after the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Microbiological Data Program (MDP) found listeria on one melon at retail during a random sampling.  The grower expanded the recall to include 188,900 cantaloupes Aug. 3 and corrected the variety from athena to caribbean golds. That expansion came after the FDA revealed it had found “unsanitary conditions” at the Burch packing shed.  Listeria contamination has been confirmed at the Burch Farms melon packing facility in Faison, N.C., according to the Food and Drug Administration.  In an update posted on its website late Aug. 13, FDA officials said the listeria finding spurred Burch to expand its recall to include all cantaloupe and honeydew melons shipped this season. No illnesses have been reported in relation to the recalled melons.

No Audit and No Traceability

Burch spokeswoman Teresa Burch said it has not had its cantaloupe operation audited by a third party for food safety practices, and although the company has traceability programs for other items, there is none in place for its melons.

Primus Labs Audit – Not for Cantaloupe

Burch said he uses the sanitizer SaniDate in his packing facility’s water. According to the Burch Farms website, the operations are audited by PrimusLabs.  PrimusLabs in-house counsel Ryan Fothergill confirmed that the company has audited the leafy greens processing and field operations at Burch Farms but not the cantaloupe operation. Fothergill said Primus records show its staff was last at the Burch operation in March.

Can you believe this is less than one year after the deadliest Listeria outbreak linked to cantaloupe?

Let's hope no one gets sick and thank the MDP.

Of the nine cases, four of the cases have been the same strain of 44 statewide Salmonella cases.

A statewide investigation is underway to try to find the source of the cases.

The symptoms of salmonella include: diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever. Infections usually resolve in 5-7 days and usually resolve without treatment. Young children, older adults and persons with chronic conditions often have more severe illness and need hospitalization. Most infections go unreported since the illness is generally mild.

Southeastern Idaho Public Health is recommending that those persons who are not immune to hepatitis A (due to previous vaccination or previous illness) and who have eaten food or drink at Tom’s Gyro between August 2nd-August 14th receive hepatitis A vaccine or immune globulin (IG) immediately. In addition, anyone who has consumed food or drink at Tom’s Gyro from July 15th-August 2nd should contact their medical provider if they are exhibiting any symptoms of hepatitis.

Hepatitis A vaccine and IG are available through most medical providers. In addition, Southeastern Idaho Public Health will have hepatitis A vaccine and immune globulin (IG) available for people directly affected by this potential exposure. Please call Southeastern Idaho Public Health’s hotline at 234-5888 to be screened and to make an appointment, if appropriate. It is important to know that if you have had a hepatitis A vaccine or have had the illness in the past, you are protected from hepatitis A infection.

She is believed to have returned recently from a holiday in the States to visit her dad Adam, 34, who lives there. The tragedy has shocked Rachel’s home village of Dalrymple, Ayrshire, where she lived with mum Louise, 37, sister Abby, 11, and brother Daniel, 6.

A source at Dalrymple Primary, where Rachel would have started primary five this week, said: “She was one of the nicest little girls you could ever meet. Everyone is in shock – she would have been coming back to join her class in just a few days.

“So far as I know she had been in America visiting her dad over the school holidays and perhaps it was over there she has picked up the infection.

“I think it was a few days after returning that her mum Louise had taken her to the doctor suffering from diarrhea. “Her condition deteriorated after that and she didn’t recover.”

The following products are subject to recall:

• Various weight combo bins of Boneless Beef "50/50," "85/15," "90/10," "93/07" or "95/05" produced on Aug. 7, 2012.

• Various weight boxes of primal cuts, subprimal cuts and boxed beef produced on Aug. 7, 2012.

Each box bears a label with the identifying package date of "08/07/2012" as well as the establishment number "EST. 4975" inside the USDA mark of inspection. The products subject to recall were distributed to wholesale and retail establishments in California and Salt Lake City, Utah. It is important to note that the products were destined for further processing and may not bear "EST. 4975" on the products available for direct consumer purchase.