For the second time in the last 12 months, pre-cut melon produced by Caito Foods has been linked to a Salmonella outbreak. Pritzker Hageman Salmonella lawyers filed the first lawsuit against Caito in the 2018 outbreak on behalf of an Ohio woman. She was hospitalized with a pervasive Salmonella infection she developed after eating pre-cut melon she purchased from a Walmart store.
Walmart is again among the retailers that sold the fruit linked to the outbreak. Caito Foods LLC, based in Indianapolis, issued a recall on April 12, 2019 for pre-cut cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon and mixes that contain these fruits and others. The recalled products were sold at Target, Kroger, Trader Joe’s, Walmart and Whole Foods. Consumers who have purchased these products, or purchased pre-cut melon from these stores and are not able to determine if they are part of the recall, should not eat them as Salmonella can cause serious illness.
Five Reasons to File a Salmonella Lawsuit
Caito Pre-Cut Melon Recall
The recall of 110 products includes packages of chunks, spears, mixes, medleys and fruit trays distributed to restaurants and grocery stores in 16 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. At grocery stores, these products were packaged in plastic containers with the following identifying information:
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- Kroger under the Renaissance Food Group or Boar’s Head Private Label
- Target under the Garden Highway Label
- Trader Joes under the Trader Joes label
- Walmart under a Freshness Guaranteed label
- Amazon/Whole Foods under the Whole Foods Market Label
Ongoing Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Caito Pre-Cut Melon
The two outbreaks linked to Caito pre-cut melon were caused by two different Salmonella strains. The 2018 outbreak was linked to Salmonella Adelaide. The ongoing Salmonella Carrau outbreak has sickened 93 people in nine states: Alabama (1), Illinois (5), Indiana (18), Kentucky (16), Michigan (19), Minnesota (3), Missouri (3), Ohio (27) and Wisconsin (1). The people sickened in this outbreak range in age from less than 1 year to 93 years old. The median age is 53. During interviews with health officials, about 77 percent of case-patients reported eating pre-cut melon they had purchased from a grocery store before they became ill.
Symptoms of a Salmonella infection include abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and fever which usually develop within six to 72 hours of exposure. The case-patients in this outbreak reported onset of symptoms from March 4, 2019 to March 31, 2019.
Previous Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Caito Pre-Cut Melon
The 2018 Salmonella outbreak linked to Caito pre-cut melon ended after sickening 77 people in nine states. Thirty-six people were hospitalized -a hospitalization rate of 46 percent, more than twice the average. The outbreak strain was Salmonella Adelaide. Case-patients, who ranged in age from less than 1 to 97 years old, reported onset-of-illness dates ranging from April 30, 2018, to July 2, 2018. The median age was 67. The case count by state was: AR (1), FL (1), IL (7), IN (14), KY (1), MI (39), MO (11), OH (2), TN (1).
The Salmonella lawyers at Pritzker Hageman have represented clients in every major Salmonella outbreak over the last 20 years – including the previous Salmonella outbreak linked to Caito pre-cut melon. If you are part of this outbreak and would like a free consultation with a member of our Salmonella Team, call 1 (888) 377-8900, text to 612-261-0856. Or, by complete the form below. The consultation is free and there is no obligation.
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