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FDA Probe Points To Cantaloupe Packing Plant As Source Of Listeria

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Enlarge Ed Andrieski/AP

Owner Eric Jensen examines cantaloupe on the Jensen Farms near Holly, Colo., last month.

Ed Andrieski/AP

Owner Eric Jensen examines cantaloupe on the Jensen Farms near Holly, Colo., last month.

The Jensen Farms cantaloupe blamed for the deadliest listeria outbreak in years may have become contaminated in the farm's own packing facilities.

That's the conclusion of the FDA's investigation into the source of the outbreak so far, although the saga is far from over.

And once again, the likely culprit is poop.

In a conference call with reporters today, FDA's Sherri McGarry says the agency's tests of cantaloupes growing in the fields were negative. Same for some samples collected in the packing facility, although she noted they were collected after the equipment had been thoroughly cleaned.

Listeria bacteria were found on some of the fruit in cold storage and some equipment, but not in the water used to wash the cantaloupes. (Read the full inspection report here.)

But where did the bacteria come from? A farm truck used to haul cantaloupes to a cattle facility — increasing the risk of contamination via animal feces — is one possibility.

Also, Magary says, the packing facility has a floor that allows water to pool and contains equipment previously used on another crop — potatoes — that wasn't "easily cleanable and sanitized." And, the packing facility is open to the air.

She added that there is no reason to believe these practices are widespread in the industry.

Jensen Farms is currently not operating and has agreed to allow government inspectors to inspect it before reopening. It initiated a recall Sept. 14.

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg says she hopes the listeria investigation will lead to better prevention of foodborne illnesses in the future - a mantra the agency has been repeating since the first reports came out last month.

As of yesterday, the outbreak has been blamed for at least 25 deaths and 123 illnesses in 26 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. While the casualties have slowed since September, they still may creep up, given the long incubation period of listeria, officials say.

Still, not everyone who was exposed got sick, and our own Allison Aubrey reported on why that is recently.

Stay tuned for more on the listeria outbreak tonight on All Things Considered.

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Death Toll From Listeria in Cantaloupe Rises to 21

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Federal health authorities say a nationwide outbreak of listeria in Colorado cantaloupes is now responsible for 21 deaths and the number may continue to grow.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday reported new deaths in Indiana and New York. The CDC also confirmed a death in Wyoming that state officials reported last week. CDC said 109 people have been sickened in the outbreak — including the 21 dead — in 23 states from California to the East Coast.

The agency previously reported five deaths in Colorado, five in New Mexico, two in Texas, two in Kansas and one each in Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. CDC said it is also aware of one miscarriage associated with the outbreak.

The number of illnesses and deaths is expected to grow. Louisiana has said it is investigating two listeria deaths possibly related to the outbreak that aren't included in the CDC's count.

CDC officials have said the symptoms of listeria can take up to two months to show up and that they expect more illnesses through October.

MORE: Listeria and Cantaloupe: 6 Things You Need to Know

The death toll in the cantaloupe outbreak is now tied with a 1998 outbreak of listeria in hot dogs and possibly deli meats made by Bil Mar Foods, a subsidiary of Sara Lee Corp. That outbreak was also linked to 21 deaths. The deadliest outbreak in the United States before that is believed to have been listeria in Mexican-style soft cheese in 1985, which was linked to 52 deaths.

Jensen Farms in Holly, Colo., recalled the tainted cantaloupes earlier this month after they were linked to listeria illnesses. They were shipped all over the country but should be off store shelves by now. The last cases of cantaloupes were shipped Sept. 10, and its shelf life is about two weeks.

The Food and Drug Administration has said state health officials found listeria in cantaloupes taken from Colorado grocery stores and from a victim's home that were grown at Jensen Farms. Matching strains of the disease were found on equipment and cantaloupe samples at Jensen Farms' packing facility in Granada, Colo.

The company has said they shipped the cantaloupe to around half of U.S. states, but added that they aren't sure where the cantaloupe went because it has been sold and resold. Thus, many companies may not even know if they bought or distributed the fruit. Fruit Fresh Up, Inc. of Depew, N.Y., issued a recall Thursday of 4,800 individual packages of cut cantaloupes, three weeks after the original recall and several days after the melons surpassed their freshness date.

MORE: California Farm Recalls Lettuce Over Listeria Fears

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said this week that the agency is still investigating the cause of the outbreak. Officials have said they are looking at the farm's water supply and possible animal intrusions among other things to figure out the source of the problem. Listeria bacteria grow in moist, muddy conditions and are often carried by animals.

Officials from the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration say that any cantaloupes not from Jensen Farms are safe to eat. The recalled cantaloupes may be labeled "Colorado Grown," ''Distributed by Frontera Produce," ''Jensenfarms.com" or "Sweet Rocky Fords." Not all of the recalled cantaloupes are labeled with a sticker, the FDA said.

Government health officials said this is the first known outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe. Listeria is generally found in processed meats and unpasteurized milk and cheese, though there have been a growing number of outbreaks in produce.

Listeria is rare but more deadly than well-known pathogens like salmonella and E. coli. While most healthy adults can consume listeria with no ill effects, it can kill the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. It is also dangerous to pregnant women because it easily passes through to the fetus. The CDC said the median age of those sickened is 77, and most ill people are over 60 years old.

Symptoms include fever and muscle aches, often with other gastrointestinal symptoms.

MORE: What's Lurking in Your Meat and Poultry? Probably Staph

The CDC has reported illnesses in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Colorado has the most illnesses, with 32 sickened. Texas has 16 reported illnesses, New Mexico has 13 and Oklahoma has 11.

—By MARY CLARE JALONICK

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21 deaths now linked to listeria in cantaloupe

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health authorities say a nationwide outbreak of listeria in Colorado cantaloupes is now responsible for 21 deaths and the number may continue to grow.

CDC officials have said the symptoms of listeria can take up to two months to show up and that they expect more illnesses through October.

Symptoms include fever and muscle aches, often with other gastrointestinal symptoms.

___

Online:

CDC on cantaloupe outbreak: http://www.cdc.gov/listeria/index.html

FDA on cantaloupe recall: http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/CORENetwork/ucm272372.htm

Center for Science and the Public Interest, "Super Safe Your Kitchen": http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/safekitchen.pdf

___

Find Mary Clare Jalonick on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MCJalonick

Associated Press

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Killer cantaloupe, scary sprouts _ what to do?

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Owner Eric Jensen examines cantaloupe on the Jensen Farms near Holly, Colo., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011. Federal health officials said Wednesday more illnesses and possibly more deaths may be linked to an outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe in coming weeks. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

Owner Eric Jensen kicks a cantaloupe as he walks through a field of it on the Jensen Farms near Holly, Colo., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011. Federal health officials said Wednesday more illnesses and possibly more deaths may be linked to an outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe in coming weeks. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)eval("var currentItemd57851005a80479aaeeb90a12c70b9ff = 1;");eval("var nextd57851005a80479aaeeb90a12c70b9ff = 0;");eval("var previousd57851005a80479aaeeb90a12c70b9ff = 0;");

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Avoid foreign produce. Wash and peel your fruit. Keep it refrigerated. None of these common tips would have guaranteed your safety from the deadliest food outbreak in a decade, the one involving cantaloupes from Colorado.

Whether it's sprouts or spinach, turkey or hamburger; whether the government conducted double, triple or quadruple inspections, the truth is that no food will ever be completely free of risk.

And a few foods have become so risky that certain people such as children, pregnant women and the elderly may do best to avoid them altogether until growers and the government figure out how to make them safer, some food experts say.

An unappetizing fact: Although the current cantaloupe outbreak has been tied to just one farm in Colorado, it's at least the 19th outbreak involving that melon since 1984. It's also the first one caused by listeria, a germ that actually likes to be in the refrigerator and thrives in this fruit, which cannot be cooked unless you want to eat melon mush.

Listeria also prompted a California farm to recall bags of chopped romaine lettuce on Thursday because of possible contamination, though no illnesses have been reported. The greens from Salinas-based True Leaf Farms went to an Oregon distributor and possibly at least two other states — Washington and Idaho.

So what should you do if you see cantaloupe on a salad bar or at the grocery store? Can you be sure all of the tainted stuff has been pulled from the market, since the last bad melons were shipped on Sept. 10? What if no one knows where the cantaloupe was grown?

"If the store can't tell them or the restaurant can't tell them, I would not buy it at all," said Chris Waldrop, director of the Food Policy Institute at the Consumer Federation of America.

Laura Anderko, a Georgetown University public health expert, went a step further.

"Honestly, as a nurse, I would tell people don't eat the cantaloupe until this thing resolves itself," she said. "This stuff happens because our system is not as tight as it needs to be."

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has confirmed 13 deaths and 72 illnesses in the outbreak so far, has not told people to stop buying cantaloupe. However, the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration cannot even say where all of the tainted melon went, because it was sold and resold to many distributors across the nation.

"When in doubt, throw it out," is the CDC's advice to consumers who have any cantaloupe whose origins they can't determine.

"Even if the cantaloupe is gone, you need to wash the drawer or shelf it may have been on" to make sure other foods don't become contaminated, said Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Beyond that, each outbreak brings fresh lessons on how to make produce safer. And while some of these things aren't guarantees, they can cut the odds you'll lose at the food safety lottery.

Some new tips food experts offered Thursday:

— Shop more often and consume fresh fruits and vegetables within a few days. This gives germs less chance to multiply and gives you more nutrients from your food, too.

— Don't just wash a melon. Scrub it under running water to rinse off any dislodged germs, and let it dry. If you cut it while it's still wet, "you may be sliding the pathogens more easily from the outside to the inside" on the knife, DeWaal said.

— Keep the fridge cold, 40 degrees or lower. Higher than that can let germs grow.

— Don't get a false sense of security if you buy organic produce. That just means less pesticide — not necessarily fewer germs.

— Consider dropping especially risky foods from your diet. Bean sprouts are not safe for children, pregnant women or people with weak immune systems and certain diseases, but that doesn't mean they're OK for everyone else, said Michael Doyle, a microbiologist who heads the University of Georgia's Center for Food Safety.

Doyle also consults for a lot of food companies, including a major spinach producer that sought help after outbreaks involving that vegetable. He has chaired a food safety advisory council for McDonald's for many years.

"I don't eat sprouts at all," he said. If harmful bacteria are in the seeds "they grow in the sprouting process, and there's nothing to kill them unless you cook them."

You can go too far with this, though. Even Dr. Robert Tauxe, the CDC's top food-germ sleuth, once confessed over lunch that he refused to live in fear, and that there were only a few foods he absolutely wouldn't eat, such as raw oysters and unpasteurized milk.

Beyond that, safe handling and cooking can generally keep most foods safe, he said.

The big picture is important, said Robert Gravani, a food scientist at Cornell University.

A gazillion pounds of produce are consumed each day, and only a tiny fraction cause problems, he said.

"I have a hard time saying, 'Don't eat produce,' because of all of the health benefits," he said. "Everything we do has some degree of risk attached to it."

___

Online:

Food safety tips: www.cspinet.org , http://www.fightbac.org

___

Marilynn Marchione can be followed at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP

Associated Press

Technology

Cantaloupe illnesses and deaths expected to rise

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A sign leading to the Jensen Farms near Holly, Colo., is pictured on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011. Federal health officials said Wednesday more illnesses and possibly more deaths may be linked to an outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe in coming weeks. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

Workers use a tractor to remove plastic from a field of rotting cantaloupe on the Jensen Farms near Holly, Colo., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011. The Food and Drug Administration has recalled 300,000 cases of cantaloupe grown on the Jensen Farms after connecting it with a listeria out break. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)eval("var currentItemd57851005a80479aaeeb90a12c70b9ff = 1;");eval("var nextd57851005a80479aaeeb90a12c70b9ff = 0;");eval("var previousd57851005a80479aaeeb90a12c70b9ff = 0;");

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials said Wednesday more illnesses and possibly more deaths may be linked to an outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe in coming weeks.

So far, the outbreak has caused at least 72 illnesses — including up to 16 deaths — in 18 states, making it the deadliest food outbreak in the United States in more than a decade.

The heads of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration said consumers who have cantaloupes produced by Jensen Farms in Colorado should throw them out. If they are not sure where the fruit is from, they shouldn't eat it.

Neither the government nor Jensen Farms has supplied a list of retailers who may have sold the fruit. Officials say consumers should ask retailers about the origins of their cantaloupe. If they still aren't sure, they should get rid of it.

"If it's not Jensen Farms, it's OK to eat," said Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC. "But if you can't confirm it's not Jensen Farms, then it's best to throw it out."

Jensen Farms of Holly, Colo. says it shipped cantaloupes to 25 states, though the FDA has said it may be more, and illnesses have been discovered in several states that were not on the shipping list. A spokeswoman for Jensen Farms said the company's product is often sold and resold, so they do not always know where it went.

The recalled cantaloupes may be labeled "Colorado Grown," ''Distributed by Frontera Produce," ''Jensenfarms.com" or "Sweet Rocky Fords." Not all of the recalled cantaloupes are labeled with a sticker, the FDA said. The company said it shipped out more than 300,000 cases of cantaloupes that contained five to 15 melons, meaning the recall involved 1.5 million to 4.5 million pieces of fruit.

The FDA said none of the cantaloupes had been exported, reversing an earlier statement that some of the tainted melons had been shipped abroad.

Frieden and FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said that illnesses are expected for weeks to come because the incubation period for listeria can be a month or even longer. That means that someone who ate contaminated cantaloupe last week may not get sick until next month. Jensen Farms last shipped cantaloupes on Sept. 10. The shelf life is about two weeks.

"We will see more cases likely through October," Hamburg said.

The Food and Drug Administration said state health officials found listeria in cantaloupes taken from Colorado grocery stores and from a victim's home that were grown at Jensen Farms. Matching strains of the disease were found on equipment and cantaloupe samples at Jensen Farms' packing facility in Granada, Colo.

Sherri McGarry, a senior adviser in the FDA's Office of Foods, said the agency is looking at the farm's water supply and possible animal intrusions among other things in trying to figure out how the cantaloupes became contaminated. Listeria bacteria grow in moist, muddy conditions and are often carried by animals.

The health officials said this is the first known outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe. Listeria is generally found in processed meats and unpasteurized milk and cheese, though there have been a growing number of outbreaks in produce. Hamburg called the outbreak a "surprise" and said the agencies are studying it closely to find out how it happened.

Cantaloupe is often the source of outbreaks, however. Frieden said CDC had identified 10 other cantaloupe outbreaks in the last decade, most of them from salmonella.

Listeria is more deadly than well-known pathogens like salmonella and E. coli, though those outbreaks generally cause many more illnesses. Twenty-one people died in an outbreak of listeria poisoning in 1998 traced to contaminated hot dogs and possibly deli meats made by Bil Mar Foods, a subsidiary of Sara Lee Corp. Another large listeria outbreak, in 1985, killed 52 people and was linked to Mexican-style soft cheese.

Listeria generally only sickens the elderly, pregnant women and others with compromised immune systems. The CDC said the median age of those sickened is 78 and that 1 in 5 who contract the disease can die from it. Symptoms include fever and muscle aches, often with other gastrointestinal symptoms.

Unlike many pathogens, listeria bacteria can grow at room temperatures and even refrigerator temperatures. It is hardy and can linger long after the source of the contamination is gone — health officials say people who may have had the contaminated fruit in their kitchens should clean and sanitize any surfaces it may have touched.

The CDC said Tuesday that 13 deaths are linked to the tainted fruit. State and local officials say they are investigating three additional deaths that may be connected.

The death toll released by the CDC Tuesday surpassed the number of deaths linked to an outbreak of salmonella in peanuts almost three years ago. Nine people died in that outbreak. The CDC reported four deaths in New Mexico, two deaths each in Colorado and Texas and one death each in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Maryland.

New Mexico officials said Tuesday they are investigating a fifth death, while health authorities in Kansas and Wyoming said they too are investigating additional deaths possibly linked to the tainted fruit.

The CDC reported the 72 illnesses and deaths in 18 states. Cases of listeria were reported in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The most illnesses were reported in Colorado, which has seen 15 sickened. Fourteen illnesses were reported in Texas, 10 in New Mexico and eight in Oklahoma.

___

Online:

CDC on cantaloupe outbreak: http://www.cdc.gov/listeria/index.html

FDA on cantaloupe recall: http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/CORENetwork/ucm272372.htm

Center for Science and the Public Interest, "Super Safe Your Kitchen": http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/safekitchen.pdf

___

Find Mary Clare Jalonick on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MCJalonick

Associated Press

Killer cantaloupe, scary sprouts _ what to do?

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Whether it's sprouts or spinach, turkey or hamburger; whether the government doubled, tripled or quadrupled inspections, the truth is that no food will ever be completely free of risk.

"If the store can't tell them or the restaurant can't tell them, I would not buy it at all," said Chris Waldrop, director of the Food Policy Institute at the Consumer Federation of America.

Laura Anderko, a Georgetown University public health expert, went a step further.

"Honestly, as a nurse, I would tell people don't eat the cantaloupe until this thing resolves itself," she said. "This stuff happens because our system is not as tight as it needs to be."

"When in doubt, throw it out," is the CDC's advice to consumers who have any cantaloupe whose origins they can't determine.

Beyond that, each outbreak brings fresh lessons on how to make produce safer. And while some of these things aren't guarantees, they can cut the odds you'll lose at the food safety lottery.

Some new tips food experts offered Thursday:

— Shop more often and consume fresh fruits and vegetables within a few days. This gives germs less chance to multiply and gives you more nutrients from your food, too.

— Keep the fridge cold, 40 degrees or lower. Higher than that can let germs grow.

— Don't get a false sense of security if you buy organic produce. That just means less pesticide — not necessarily fewer germs.

"I don't eat sprouts at all," he said. If harmful bacteria are in the seeds "they grow in the sprouting process, and there's nothing to kill them unless you cook them."

You can go too far with this, though. Even Dr. Robert Tauxe, the CDC's top food-germ sleuth, once confessed over lunch that he refused to live in fear of the fork, and that there were only a few foods he absolutely wouldn't eat, such as raw oysters and unpasteurized milk.

Beyond that, safe handling and cooking can generally keep most foods safe, he said.

The big picture is important, said Robert Gravani, a food scientist at Cornell University.

A gazillion pounds of produce are consumed each day, and only a tiny fraction cause problems, he said.

"I have a hard time saying, 'Don't eat produce,' because of all of the health benefits," he said. "Everything we do has some degree of risk attached to it."

___

Online:

Food safety tips: www.cspinet.org , http://www.fightbac.org

___

Marilynn Marchione can be followed at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP

Associated Press

Tainted cantaloupe warnings continue

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Jensen Farms is recalling Rocky Ford whole cantaloupes that were shipped between July 29 and September 10.Listeria can take three weeks or longer to make a person sickTainted cantaloupes are linked to 13 deaths; 72 illnesses have been reported in 18 statesIt is the deadliest U.S. outbreak of a food-borne illness in more than a decade

(CNN) -- Federal health officials are expanding efforts to ensure no additional bacteria-tainted cantaloupes get to consumers in what has become the deadliest U.S. outbreak of a food-borne illness in more than a decade.

The Food and Drug Administration said it has teamed up with state officials in the effort.

"FDA and its state partners are conducting checks at retail stores, wholesalers and distributors to make sure they have received notification about the Jensen Farms' whole cantaloupe recall and that they have taken appropriate action to notify their customers and remove the recalled whole cantaloupes from the shelves," the agency said in a statement Wednesday.

Thirteen people have died in what has become the deadliest U.S. outbreak of a food-borne illness since 1998, according to records from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The outbreak -- blamed on the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes -- was first reported September 12. It was traced to consumption of Rocky Ford cantaloupes grown at Jensen Farms' fields in Granada, Colorado.

What you need to know about Listeria

As of Monday, it had grown to 18 states, 72 illnesses and 13 deaths, according to the CDC's latest statistics.

"Because some of the wholesalers and distributors may have further distributed the recalled cantaloupes to food processors, it is possible that additional products that contain cantaloupe from Jensen Farms could be recalled," the FDA said. "There is no indication of foreign distribution at this time."

In 1998, 21 people died from consuming tainted hot dogs, according to a CDC database.

Food poisoning 101

In the current outbreak, four people who ate contaminated cantaloupes died in New Mexico, two each in Colorado and Texas, and one each in Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.

Public health officials also have reported illnesses in California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, North Dakota, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Listeria can grow even at low temperatures and can also can take three weeks or longer to make a person sick, so more cases may emerge in the coming weeks, officials said.

Listeriosis causes fever, muscle aches, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms. It is rarely a serious concern for healthy children and adults, according to the CDC, but it is particularly dangerous for older adults, people with weakened immune systems. In pregnant women, it can cause miscarriages, stillbirth and premature delivery.

Pregnant women may experience only mild flu-like symptoms, said Dr. David Acheson, a former chief medical officer for the FDA who is now the managing director for food and import safety practice at Leavitt Partners, a firm which advises clients on health care and food safety. Listeria can be devastating to a fetus, he said, particularly in the second or third trimesters, so pregnant women who may have been exposed and have any flu-like symptoms should see a doctor. Symptoms can be more pronounced in the elderly or those with compromised immune systems, he said.

About 1,600 people become seriously ill because of the bacteria each year, the CDC reports, and about 260 die.

How to keep your food safe

Cantaloupe outbreak is deadliest in a decade

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Cantaloupes rot in the afternoon heat on a field on the Jensen Farms near Holly, Colo., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011. Federal health officials said Wednesday more illnesses and possibly more deaths may be linked to an outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe in coming weeks. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)eval("var currentItemd57851005a80479aaeeb90a12c70b9ff = 1;");eval("var nextd57851005a80479aaeeb90a12c70b9ff = 0;");eval("var previousd57851005a80479aaeeb90a12c70b9ff = 0;");

WASHINGTON (AP) — Health officials say as many as 16 people have died from possible listeria illnesses traced to Colorado cantaloupes, the deadliest food outbreak in more than a decade.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that 72 illnesses, including 13 deaths, are linked to the tainted fruit. State and local officials say they are investigating three additional deaths that may be connected.

The death toll released by the CDC Tuesday — including newly confirmed deaths in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas — surpassed the number of deaths linked to an outbreak of salmonella in peanuts almost three years ago. Nine people died in that outbreak.

The CDC said Tuesday that they have confirmed two deaths in Texas and one death each in in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. Last week the CDC reported two deaths in Colorado, four deaths in New Mexico, one in Oklahoma and one in Maryland.

Listeria is more deadly than well-known pathogens like salmonella and E. coli, though those outbreaks generally cause many more illnesses. Twenty-one people died in an outbreak of listeria poisoning in 1998 traced to contaminated hot dogs and possibly deli meats made by Bil Mar Foods, a subsidiary of Sara Lee Corp. Another large listeria outbreak in 1985 killed 52 people and was linked to Mexican-style soft cheese.

Listeria generally only sickens the elderly, pregnant women and others with compromised immune systems. The CDC said the median age of those sickened is 78 and that one in five who contract the disease can die.

Dr. Robert Tauxe of the CDC says the number of illnesses and deaths will probably grow in coming weeks because the symptoms of listeria don't always show up right away. It can take four weeks or more for a person to fall ill after eating food contaminated with listeria.

"That long incubation period is a real problem," Tauxe said. "People who ate a contaminated food two weeks ago or even a week ago could still be falling sick weeks later."

CDC reported the 72 illnesses and deaths in 18 states. Cases of listeria were reported in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The most illnesses were reported in Colorado, which has seen 15 sickened. Fourteen illnesses were reported in Texas, 10 in New Mexico and eight in Oklahoma.

The outbreak has been traced to Jensen Farms in Holly, Colo., which recalled the tainted cantaloupes earlier this month. The Food and Drug Administration said state health officials had found listeria in cantaloupes taken from grocery stores in the state and from a victim's home that were grown at Jensen Farms. Matching strains of the disease were found on equipment and cantaloupe samples at Jensen Farms' packing facility in Granada, Colo.

FDA, which investigates the cause of foodborne outbreaks, has not released any additional details on how the contamination may have happened. The agency says its investigation is ongoing.

The Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupes from Jensen Farms were shipped from July 29 through Sept. 10 to Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming.

The recalled cantaloupe may be labeled "Colorado Grown," ''Distributed by Frontera Produce," ''Jensenfarms.com" or "Sweet Rocky Fords." Not all of the recalled cantaloupes are labeled with a sticker, the FDA said.

Unlike many pathogens, listeria bacteria can grow at room temperatures and even refrigerator temperatures. The FDA and CDC recommend anyone who may have one of the contaminated cantaloupes throw it out immediately and clean and sanitize any surfaces it may have touched.

About 800 cases of listeria are found in the United States each year, according to CDC, and there usually are three or four outbreaks. Most of these are traced to deli meat and soft cheeses, where listeria is most common.

Produce has rarely been the culprit, but federal investigators say they have seen more produce-related listeria illnesses in the past two years. It was found in sprouts in 2009 and celery in 2010.

While most healthy adults can consume listeria with no ill effects, it can kill the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. It is also dangerous to pregnant women because it easily passes through to the fetus. Dr. Tauxe of the CDC said the type of listeria linked to the cantaloupes is not one that is commonly associated with pregnancy-associated illnesses, however. State and federal health authorities have not definitively linked any miscarriages, stillbirths or infant illnesses to the current outbreak.

Symptoms of listeria include fever and muscle aches, often with other gastrointestinal symptoms. Victims often become incapacitated and unable to speak.

Debbie Frederick said her mother knew something was wrong when her father, 87-year-old William Thomas Beach, collapsed at his home in Mustang, Okla. and couldn't get up. He died a few days later, on Sept. 1. The family later learned his death was linked to eating the cantaloupe and sued Jensen Farms.

"First you just kind of go into shock," said Frederick. "Then it settles in that he would still be alive if this hadn't happened. It's a life, for what?"

___

Associated Press writers Jamie Stengle in Dallas, Josh Funk in Omaha, Neb., Maria Sudekum Fisher in Kansas City, Mo., Susan Montoya in Albuquerque, N.M. and Ben Neary in Cheyenne, Wyo. contributed to this report.

___

Online:

CDC on cantaloupe outbreak: http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/listeriosis/092111.html

FDA on cantaloupe recall: http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/CORENetwork/ucm272372.htm

Center for Science and the Public Interest, "Super Safe Your Kitchen": http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/safekitchen.pdf

___

Find Mary Clare Jalonick on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MCJalonick

Associated Press

Kansas firm recalls cantaloupe linked to Listeria outbreak

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n">(Reuters) - A Kansas-based food processor recalled hundreds of pounds of fresh-cut cantaloupe on Friday because of possible Listeria contamination linked to melons from Colorado that were blamed for an outbreak that has killed eight people.

Carol's Cuts was recalling 594 pounds of cantaloupe packaged in 5-pound trays and as an ingredient in fruit medleys distributed in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, a recall notice posted on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website said.

In addition to the eight deaths, a total of 55 people in 14 states have been sickened from Listeria-tainted cantaloupes traced to melons grown at Colorado-based Jensen Farms Inc and sold under the brand name Rocky Ford.

"The Carol's Cuts recall is part of a larger recall involving cantaloupe traced to Rocky Ford cantaloupes produced by Jensen Farms," the recall notice said.

"Consumers who may have the recalled Carol's Cuts product in their possession should return it to the place of purchase for a full refund or destroy it," it added.

The Food and Drug Administration said last week the tainted cantaloupes were shipped to 17 states. Not all states that have received shipments of the melons appear to have seen infections.

The recall notice said the fruit in the Carol's Cuts recall, which had use-by dates of September 19 at the latest, was sold to institutional customers including restaurants and may have been used in salad bars or as a fruit menu item.

The Colorado company linked to the outbreak, Jensen Farms, has voluntarily recalled its cantaloupes shipped between July 29 and September 10.

Listeria monocytogenes, the bacterial strain found in the tainted cantaloupes, thrives at low temperatures, the CDC said on its website. Infection can be particularly dangerous for elderly people, pregnant women and patients with weakened immune systems, health officials said.

Previous Listeria outbreaks linked to produce were traced to sprouts and celery.

(Writing by Cynthia Johnston)

DNA links listeria outbreak to Colorado cantaloupe grower

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By Keith Coffman

DENVER | Fri Sep 16, 2011 10:28pm EDT

DENVER (Reuters) - Lab tests by Colorado health officials confirmed a listeria outbreak that has killed at least two people is linked to cantaloupe grown at a farm in the southeast part of the state, officials said on Friday.

Jensen Farms Inc of Holly, Colorado, which has voluntarily recalled all its melons shipped to 17 states, was named as the source. The farm is about 200 miles southeast of Denver.

The determination by Colorado health officials came one day after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers not to eat any melons raised at Jensen Farms.

Listeria monocytogenes is a virulent bacterium that can thrive at low temperatures and causes about 1,600 people in the United States to fall ill with flu-like symptoms each year, killing more than 250, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Cantaloupe samples from the refrigerator of a listeria patient's home, as well as samples obtained from various retail outlets last week, have the same DNA fingerprints as the listeria that has infected 12 Colorado residents," the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said in a statement on Friday.

"All of the listeria-positive cantaloupe samples at this time appear to have been grown at Jensen Farms."

The listeria outbreak has infected 22 people in seven states and caused two deaths, the CDC said on its website.

Listeria outbreaks are usually associated with deli meats, unpasteurized cheeses and smoked refrigerated seafood products. This is just the third outbreak of the food-borne illness traced to fresh produce, the FDA said.

Health officials warn pregnant women, people over the age of 60 and those with compromised immune systems not to consume items known to be linked to the bacteria.

Those infected with the gastrointestinal illness experience flu-like symptoms, and in extreme cases can suffer convulsions and miscarriages or stillbirths in pregnant women. Antibiotics are effective in treating the infection in most cases.

(Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis and Peter Bohan)

Farm of Colorado said Listeria found in cantaloupe

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DENVER (AP) - a farm of melon in Colorado issued a recall of cantaloupe after a Listeria outbreak that has killed at least two people, sickened 22 and spread to several States .the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the death of the outbreak were reported in Colorado and the New-Mexico and State health departments said that more deaths could be confirmed once the testing is.The CDC said 22 those infected are in seven States: the voice of Colorado, Indiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and West farms Virginia.Jensen Amy Philpott, said Thursday that one of cantaloupes farm tested Colorado Rocky Ford positive for the bacteria, but several tests are needed to determine if it is the same strain linked to the epidemic. The farm provides about 40 percent of the region cantaloupes, said Philpott.En cooperation with voluntary recall, Safeway Inc. said that it was recalling firm and sold jumbo provided by Jensen cantaloupes in Colorado; Nebraska; Aztec and Farmington, N.M.; Wyoming and South Dakota between August 30 and September 6. Cantaloupes currently in Safeway stores are not the region of Rocky Ford, said of the grocery chain.This is the first bacterium has been associated with cantaloupe in the United States. Apparently originally outbreak of Rocky Ford, a growing area of fertile melon of Colorado is a popular destination for tourists.Tammie Palmer, of Colorado Springs, said Thursday her husband of 71 remains hospitalized after eating contaminated cantaloupe and filed suit against firm Jensen and Wal-Mart Stores Inc., where the family said the cantaloupe was purchased.Palmer told Associated Press that Charles Palmer received on August 31, ill and was transported to emergency hospital, where doctors there diagnosed as Listeria monocytogenes, the same strain blamed for the outbreak. "He was not able to speak with me for five days. When I spoke to him, his eyes rolled to the back of the head. It was a nightmare, she said.Palmer said that she was contacted by the Department of health Colorado, who wanted to know what groceries they bought, what they eat and where they stored food. Philpott, stated that she had not seen the suit filed Thursday and made no comment.Walmart spokesman Greg Rossiter said disease Palmer was the first time, the company has heard that someone may have been sickened by cantaloupe purchased a Walmart. "" We take these concerns very seriously and we wish Mr. Palmer well ", he said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.Rossiter said the company removed cantaloupes Monday and works with suppliers to find melons from security zones.Rossiter had not seen the suit and declined to comment on specific allegations, which include the sale of a defective product.Philpott, said that the company was informed that there was a positive test, but we do not know if it was linked to the outbreak. "Philpott, stated that she did not know the State or the store or the Agency who found, and the recall was voluntary.She said the company has delivered more than 300 000 cases across the country during the period covered by the recall, but the company recalled the entire crop precaution.The tests were for the first time by KMGH-TV (http://bit.ly/rsksgM).The farm stopped Monday when Colorado health officials issued an alert and advised retailers to remove cantaloupes to shelves, Philpott, said the harvest.New-Mexico awarded three deaths on the outbreak, but epidemiologist that Chad Smelser said Thursday that a death has been confirmed and the other two are pending the results of the CDC.The CDC said almost all of the interviewed victims remember eating cantaloupe and several recalled that they were in the region of Rocky Ford .the ' agency said about 800 cases of listeria are diagnosed in the United States each year and there are three or four outbreaks of it a year. Deli meats, hot dogs and cheese are the most common carriers, and epidemics to produce are rare. However, sprouts caused an epidemic in 2009, and celery caused an epidemic in 2010.Cantaloupe is often a guilty of outbreaks of foodborne illness, but not the Listeriosis. Earlier this year, State and federal authorities linked 12 salmonella illnesses, many of them to the West, until Guatemala.The imported cantaloupes cantaloupes were shipped between July 29 and September 10 and distributed throughout the Colorado, Utah, Nebraska, Wyoming, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, New-Mexico, Arizona, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Tennessee, in the North, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.Listeriosis Carolina is a serious infection usually caused by ingestion of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The disease primarily affects the elderly, pregnant women, infants and adults with weakened immune systems. Symptoms may include fever, muscle aches, diarrhea, headache, stiff neck, confusion and press convulsions.__Associated P. Solomon Banda Denver writers and Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed to this report.___Online:http://1.usa.gov/pyQxF0http://1.usa.gov/pSzV3M___Information of: KMGH-TV, http://www.thedenverchannel.com