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It can’t be all that dangerous to nosh on a carrot or a tomato without giving it a good scrub first, right?
Wrong. Just ask more than 20 folks hit with listeria, a gastrointestinal illness [2] that can cause death. Rocky Ford cantaloupe--one of Colorado's sweetest exports-- has been pulled from grocery stores shelves nationwide.
We've seen outbreaks like this before (there are two to four each year [3] in the United States), but not with Colorado cantaloupe [4]. In 2010 [5], sprouts from Specialty-Farms were recalled for listeria contamination. There have also been similar scares with tomatoes, jalapenos, and cilantro, which were all recalled for salmonella contamination in 2008 [6]. (Guacamole just wasn't the same for a while.)
Now, Colorado's melons are under attack, and DNA testing has singled out Jensen Farms [7] (near Holly [8]), which is recalling shipments to 17 states [3]. With all this negative press for the honeydew's less green relative, farmers are facing economic repercussions [9].
What does this all mean? Scrub your veggies and fruit tonight.
Links:
[1] http://www.5280.com/taxonomy/term/1916
[2] http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-cantaloupe-listeriosis-colorado-20110916,0,7557233.story
[3] http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm271879.htm
[4] http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_18907596?source=pkg
[5] http://digitaljournal.com/article/295391
[6] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25548365/ns/health-infectious_diseases/t/us-checks-mexico-source-salmonella/#.Tndvl44YsrU
[7] http://www.jensenfarms.com/index.cfm/pages/view/id/7/page/jensen-farms-home-page
[8] http://maps.google.com/maps?q=holly+colorado&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x870c01ae3104ff39:0x19022c0d9f5fa3db,Holly,+CO&gl=us&ei=F5Z3TpvnNoeqsQLS5I2VCQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=2&ved=0CDoQ8gEwAQ
[9] http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_18889331
[10] http://healthland.time.com/2011/09/15/listeria-outbreak-prompts-warning-voluntary-recall-of-rocky-ford-cantaloupe/