Salmonella cases in Minnesota linked to cantaloupe

Five people in Minnesota have become sick from eating cantaloupe with the label Malichita, according to health officials. The cantaloupes are being recalled due to an outbreak of Salmonella infections in Canada and 15 U.S. states including Minnesota.

On Friday, the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture issued an advisory telling people not to buy or eat whole cantaloupe. The cantaloupes were distributed directly to 11 states including Wisconsin and Michigan.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, five people in the Twin Cities metro area became sick from October 25 to November 4. One person was hospitalized.

If you have eaten cantaloupe and are experiencing symptoms such as diarrhea accompanied by fever, consult your health care provider. Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Health officials say the general public infected often experiences fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

Sofia Produce, LLC of Nogales, Arizona does business under the name “Trufresh,” expanded its original recall. The recall now includes the following additional sales order numbers distributed between October 16, 2023 and October 23, 2023 because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The additional sales order numbers are: 128663, 128712, 128713, 128662, 128680, 225252, 225231, 419719, 419721, 419828, 419803, 612235, 612273.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration says consumers should take the following actions:

• Check to see if you have recalled products
• Do not consume, serve, use, sell, or distribute recalled products
• Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the location where they were purchased
• Consumers who are unsure if they have purchased the recalled product are advised to contact their retailer
• If you think you became sick from consuming a recalled product, contact your healthcare provider

Officials say an investigation into this product is ongoing.