La Neustra and Goya Typhoid Fever Outbreak
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers not to eat frozen mamey fruit pulp sold under the La Nuestra brand by Montalvan Sales Inc. Ontario, California, or the Goya brand by Goya Foods Inc. Secaucus, New Jersey. The two companies get their mamey fruit from a common supplier in Guatemala. The pulp was used by juice stands to make mamey smoothies.
An investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health departments showed an epidemiologic link between an ongoing outbreak of Salmonella Typhi infections and the products. This means that interviews with patients and their families found that a statistically high number of people sickened in the outbreak had consumed frozen mamey pulp sold under the La Nuestra and Goya brands.
The CDC reports that at least nine people in California and Nevada are ill with typhoid fever, caused by Salmonella Typhi. Ill individuals have reported consuming mamey fruit pulp, including mamey fruit smoothies at juice stands.
Goya Foods Inc. and La Nuestra have voluntarily recalled their products:
Both the Goya and La Nuestra products are sold frozen. The Goya product is sold in 14-ounce packages in retail stores nationwide. All production lot codes are being recalled. The UPC is 041331090803.
The La Nuestra brand mamey pulp comes in a 14-ounce plastic package. All lot numbers are affected by this recall; however, packages produced prior to May 2009 are not identified with a lot number and are subject to this recall as well. The UPC is 7-56869-10008-4.
Mamey fruit (sometime referred to as "zapote") is large and round, has brown skin and a fleshy orange pulp. It is grown mainly in the tropical lowlands of Central America and is very popular among the Hispanic community, especially in juices and fruit shakes (called "batidos").
Infections with
Salmonella
Typhi cause typhoid fever, a serious illness that can result in death. People with typhoid fever usually have a sustained fever as high as 103 degrees to 104 degrees F (39 degrees to 40 degrees C). They may also feel weak, or have stomach pains, headache, or loss of appetite.
The only way to know for sure if an illness is typhoid fever is to have samples of stool or blood tested for the presence of Salmonella Typhi. If you suspect you or a family member has typhoid fever, it is important that you or the family member see a health care professional immediately. If you or your family member is diagnosed with typhoid fever, contact our law firm about a lawsuit against the owner of the juice stand and Goya Foods or Montalvan.
