A salmonella outbreak linked to precut melon has affected 117 people in 10 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.
The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration say the likely source of the outbreak is Caito Foods LLC in Illinois, but the investigation is ongoing.
On April 12, Caito voluntarily recalled several types of precut melon sold at Kroger, Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, and Amazon.com under the Whole Foods label.
The recall includes precut watermelon, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, and precut fruit medley products. The fruit was distributed to Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. A full list of the recalled products is available on the FDA website.
“If you cannot determine if any precut melon you purchased was produced by Caito Foods LLC, don’t eat it and throw it away,” the CDC said.
The CDC said illnesses started on March 4 and continued to April 8. Thirty-two people have been hospitalized. The youngest infected consumer was less than a year old, and the oldest was 98. No deaths have been reported.
Salmonella is to blame for 1 million cases of foodborne illness in the United States every year, according to the CDC.
Symptoms usually begin 12 to 72 hours after consuming the bacteria and can last four to seven days. They include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, according to the CDC. Most people recover on their own. Patients who experience severe diarrhea may require hospitalization. If severely ill patients are not treated, the illness can be deadly.
CNN’s David G. Allen contributed to this report.
