FDA Blames Listeria Deaths On Unsanitary Packing Shed
October 19, 2011 FDA confirms the outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes in whole cantaloupe that killed 25 and sickened 123 in numerous states is associated with a single grower-shipper in Colorado and is a result of the unsanitary practices in the packing shed. Multiple problems were cited at Jensen Farms in Holly, CO. Field samples tested negative for the pathogen.
FDA emphasized the importance of preventive food safety controls during a media briefing Wednesday. The agency’s takeaway message was that farms must not only employ good handling practices in the field but they must have them for the packing facility, as well.
This foodborne illness outbreak is the deadliest in 25 years, added Barbara Mahon, M.D., deputy branch chief, Enteric Disease Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to an FDA environmental assessment document, several factors were identified as what most likely contributed to the contamination of the cantaloupe:
- A truck parked near the packing shed that was used to take culled cantaloupes to a nearby cattle operation could have introduced contaminants;
- The way the facility is designed allowed water to pool on the packing facility floor adjacent to equipment;
- The floor of the packing facility was difficult to clean;
- The packing equipment was not easily cleaned and sanitized;
- The equipment used to wash and dry the cantaloupe had been used for postharvest handling of another raw agricultural commodity; and
- Proper precooling steps were not taken.
Quick Recall
Steve Patricio, chairman of the Center for Produce Safety and president of Westside Produce, a shipper of melons, says the warning and recall of the produce may have stopped others from getting sick or worse. He adds, however, that there is no explanation or apology to offset the illnesses and deaths.
“A targeted warning and recall undoubtedly prevented numerous additional illnesses and probably deaths,” he says. “The county and state of Colorado health officials did an excellent job of identifying and isolating the contaminated product. FDA and CDC traced the illnesses and identified the ranch, the farmer, and the shipper and cleared all of the other shippers in Colorado and the other parts of the country in record time.
“The impact in the marketplace has been devastating,” he continues. “Nearly three weeks after the recall was announced and the product fully pulled from commerce, the mainstream media began reporting on the confirmations of the prior illnesses and deaths that had occurred 30 to 60 days prior. The ‘new’ media hysteria created fear and confusion by consumers without any benefit to them. The product had not been available anywhere and was well beyond its shelf life.”
According to Tom Nassif, president and CEO of Western Growers, the tragic outbreak associated with a single cantaloupe packing facility in Colorado should not have happened. “We are confident that California and Arizona cantaloupe producers have the controls and preventive practices in place to ensure the safety of the over 45 million cases of cantaloupes, 85% of the total U.S. volume, grown in this region.”
Subscribe Today For
