rockmelon-500x500Update:  97 people have been struck down by a national salmonella outbreak linked to a brand of rockmelons, as health authorities warn pregnant women, infants and the elderly to avoid eating the fruit.

Red Dirt Melons – a Northern Territory-based supplier – is recalling its rockmelons after Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) launched an investigation into a spike in Salmonella cases in several Australian states.

I am sitting in the rain in Nelson, New Zealand (thanks for the Seattle weather) about to give a speech in the morning – “How to avoid the lawyers coming calling on a food safety issue” – when I saw that the Food Standards Agency of Australia and New Zealand announced that State and territory food enforcement agencies are investigating cases of Salmonella, possibly associated with rockmelon (cantaloupe), following an increase in cases in a number of states in Australia.

Later next week I will be in Sydney, Australia giving a similar speech – “Foodborne illness litigation – What have we learned from recent food safety crises?”

Apparently, not that much: