WEDNESDAY, June 13, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Federal, state and local health officials are investigating a salmonella outbreak linked to fruit salad mixes that has sickened 60 people in five U.S. states.
The fruit salad mixes included precut watermelon, honeydew melon, cantaloupe and cut fruit medley products from the Caito Foods facility in Indianapolis. The company has recalled the products.
Of the 60 patients who became ill between April 30, 2018 and May 30, 2018, 31 have been hospitalized. The patients range in age from 1 to 97 years. No deaths have been reported, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.
Illnesses have been reported in Illinois (6), Indiana (11), Michigan (32), Missouri (10) and Ohio (1).
The FDA said consumers should not eat the recalled products, which were distributed in Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio.
The products were packaged in clear, plastic clamshell containers and distributed to several major retailers, including Costco, Jay C, Kroger, Pay Less, Owen's, Sprouts, Trader Joe's, Walgreens, Walmart and Whole Foods/Amazon.
People who think they might have a salmonella infection should see a health care provider, the FDA advised.
"There's still a lot to learn about this outbreak, but we're confident that most of the illnesses in this outbreak are linked to precut melon from a facility in Indiana," FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said in an agency news release.
"While we've made important progress, work remains to address the risks and pinpoint the source of the contamination. FDA field staff have sampled the facility and are conducting an inspection that'll help identify the actions the company will need to take to prevent an outbreak from happening again. We will continue to share our progress toward these goals and provide updates as we learn more," Gottlieb said.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on salmonella.
