FDA IDs Chamberlain Farm as ‘One Source’ of Cantaloupe Outbreak

U.S. health officials identified Chamberlain Farm Produce Inc. of Owensville, Ind., as one possible source of cantaloupes tied to an outbreak of salmonella food poisoning that has been blamed for causing two deaths and causing 178 people to become ill in 21 states.

Food and Drug Administration officials are warning consumers to avoid eating melons from the previously unidentified farm following the multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium.

After officials from the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the state of Indiana briefed Chamberlain Farms on the current status of the investigation, Chamberlain Farms made the decision to recall its cantaloupe from the market place. The investigation into the outbreak continues in order to determine whether there are other possible sources of the outbreak.

Records available currently indicate that the tainted cantaloupes were initially shipped to Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Ohio, Illinois, and Wisconsin, although further shipment was likely.

To date, CDD reports a total of 178 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium from 21 states. Nationwide, 62 persons have been hospitalized. In Kentucky, two deaths have been reported.

The first illnesses associated with this outbreak were reported July 7, and public health officials as of this writing have not released the name of the farm in question.