Attorney Fred Pritzker Calls on FDA, Jensen Farms and Frontera Produce to Release List of Retailers that Received Rocky Ford Cantaloupe
To protect themselves from Listeria infections, serious illness and possible death, consumers need a detailed list of the retailers that received Rocky Ford cantaloupe from Jensen Farms and its distributor Frontera Produce of Edinburg, Texas. The cantaloupe may be contaminated with Liseria monocytogenes, a deadly pathogen.
“The FDA, Jensen Farms and Frontera have put consumers at risk by not immediately publishing a list of retailers that received potentially contaminated Rocky Ford cantaloupe,” said food safety attorney Fred Pritzker. “We are getting contacts from people around the country who are worried about cantaloupe they purchased and/or ate.”
Retailers, including Safeway (Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico (Aztec and Farmington), South Dakota and Wyoming), Whole Foods, King Soopers (Colorado and Wyoming), Albertson’s, Walmart (one lawsuit lists Colorado Springs store) and others, have pulled Rocky Ford cantaloupes off shelves, according to store press releases and news reports. But consumers should not have to get this information piecemeal.
The cantaloupe recall was prompted by an outbreak of Listeria infections (listeriosis) that has sickened people in at least 7 states: Colorado (12), Indiana (1), Nebraska (1), New Mexico (4), Oklahoma (1), Texas (2), and West Virginia (1). Our law firm has also been contacted from people in other states whose loved ones may be part of this outbreak.
There are 22 confirmed cases of listeriosis linked to this outbreak and two deaths, one in Colorado and one in New Mexico. Three other deaths in New Mexico and several illnesses may also be connected to this outbreak.
Evidence Linking Rocky Ford Cantaloupe to Illnesses and Deaths
Among the 19 ill persons with available information on what they ate, all 19 (100%) reported consuming cantaloupes. Ill persons were interviewed about exposures during the month before they became ill; investigators compared their responses to persons with listeriosis reported through the CDC Listeria Initiative, whose illnesses were not part of this outbreak. Several ill persons remembered the type of cantaloupe they had eaten and said they were Rocky Ford cantaloupes, which are grown in the Rocky Ford region of southeastern Colorado. Source tracing of the cantaloupes that ill persons ate indicated that they were produced by Jensen Farms, of Granada, Colorado, and were marketed as being from the Rocky Ford region. These cantaloupes were harvested in August and September.
Laboratory testing by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment identified Listeria monocytogenes bacteria on cantaloupes collected from grocery stores and from an ill person’s home. Product traceback information from Colorado state officials indicated these cantaloupes also came from Jensen Farms.
Attorney Fred Pritzker represents Listeria victims nationwide. He can be reached for at 1-888-377-8900 or by submitting our free consultation form.
