Where Do Our Cantaloupes Come From?
The average American eats more than eight pounds of cantaloupe each year, where does it come from? From mid summer through late fall, over 90 percent of cantaloupes sold in the U.S. come from the central California growing region, according to the California Cantaloupe Advisory Board (CCAB).
This board, formed in 1988, represents most of the hundreds of cantaloupe growers and shippers in central California and prides itself in saying that there has never been a foodborne illness outbreak associated with California cantaloupes.
Most cantaloupes bear a sticker identifying their country of origin. Total U.S. imports of cantaloupes were valued at $117.3 million in 2004, according to the Agricultural Issues Center at the University of California, Davis. The three largest importers of cantaloupe are: Guatemala, 41.1 percent; Costa Rica, 32.3 percent and Mexico 4.1 percent.
At one time, Mexico was the largest supplier of cantaloupes to the United States. But after a series of Salmonella outbreaks were traced back to a Mexican source, imports plummeted from 27.9 percent in 2000 to 4.1 percent in 2004.
After a major outbreak in 2002, U.S. and Canadian governments began requiring Mexican exporters to certify that their cantaloupes are produced under proper conditions before they can be shipped to North American markets.
California cantaloupes are grown using the standardized principles of “Good Agricultural Practices” and are subject to mandatory inspections, according to CCAB. Most are packed directly from the field into shipping boxes to reduce handling and lesson the likelihood of exposure to pathogens,
A cantaloupe Listeria outbreak in Colorado, Nebraska and Texas which began last month has killed one person and sickened at least 11 others. Federal, state and local health investigators have not identified the source of the melons.
