Salmonella Lawsuit Filed in Cantaloupe Outbreak
The lawsuit comes as the number of cases in the Salmonella Sundsvall Outbreak increases dramatically. Minnesota has now announced at least 20 CONFIRMED cases (estimates put the actual number as high as 30-1, implying nearly 600 Minnesotans have become ill). In fact, Carlota Medus, the supervisor for Minnesota Department of Health’s foodborne diseases unit, stated: “Currently we are still in the middle of the investigation trying to determine where people were exposed who became ill . . . Were they exposed by the initial cantaloupe that was contaminated, or were they exposed and ate cantaloupe that was not the recall cantaloupe or was a cross-contamination event or some other situation?”
So far, across 34 states, 117 CONFIMRED cases have been identified with two of the victims passing away. The states hit hardest in the Salmonella Sundsvall Outbreak, according to a Salmonella lawyer Ron Simon, who has filed a number of lawsuits in recent weeks, include: “Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Missouri, and Arizona. The Salmonella Sundsvall Outbreak has also hit Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina severely. So far, no cases have been reported in Florida, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and New Mexico, among a few other states.
The two deaths have been reported from Minnesota.
Meanwhile, in Georgia, the Georgia Department of Public Health (GDPH) has announced multiple individuals, ranging in age from 1 to 81, have tested positive in that state for Salmonella Sundsvall. One victim has been hospitalized, with the victims seemingly spread across a wide geographic area. In Georgia, according to GDPH, the Trufresh’s Malichita and Rudy Cantaloupes were sold (at least) at Sprouts Farmers Market, Trader Joe’s, and Kroger stores.
Other retail chains implicated in this outbreak (selling precut cantaloupe products) include Aldi, Kwik Trip, Trader Joe’s, Freshness Guaranteed, RaceTrac and Vinyard, according to the CDC. The implicated cantaloupe includes Trufresh’s Malichita and Rudy cantaloupes.
The recalled whole cantaloupes have a sticker that says “Malichita” or “Rudy,” with the number 4050 and “Product of Mexico/produit du Mexique.” The recall, however, may still be expanded.
Note: In Other News, Hope International Church in Seattle is at the center of an investigation into food poisoning. A Potluck appears to have been the center of an outbreak of 12 illnesses developed between November 12t and 13th of this year.
