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Caribeña Papayas Linked to Salmonella Outbreak


— August 1, 2017

A nationwide recall has been issued by the FDA for Caribeña papayas. Why? Well, it turns out they’re linked to a salmonella outbreak that has already “killed one person and sickened 46 others.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of “47 people in 12 states have been sickened by salmonella-contaminated fruit…. Twelve people have been hospitalized and one has died.”


A nationwide recall has been issued by the FDA for Caribeña papayas. Why? Well, it turns out they’re linked to a salmonella outbreak that has already “killed one person and sickened 46 others.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of “47 people in 12 states have been sickened by salmonella-contaminated fruit…. Twelve people have been hospitalized and one has died.”

While conducting a Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) analysis on 10 of the patients, all cases were related to the outbreak, prompting a further investigation into the outbreak. Fortunately, Grande Produce, the papaya distributor, has cooperated with the FDA, and “notified consumers through a press release that it had conducted a limited recall of Caribeña brand Maradol papayas…distributed July 10 to July 19.”

As mentioned previously, the recall is nationwide, which means the recalled papayas were distributed to a variety of different states. For example, so far they have “turned up in Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.” Consumers in other states are being advised by the FDA to avoid eating Caribeña brand Maradol papayas, and also “notes that there are illnesses in states where Grande Produce did not distribute papayas and is, therefore, continuing the investigation.”

Image of the Recalled Papaya Sticker
Recalled Papaya Sticker; Image Courtesy of the FDA, https://www.fda.gov/

For now, anyone who has these papayas should get rid of them immediately. They can be identified by the “red, green, and yellow” sticker here.

Updates related to the recall will break as the investigation progresses. In a statement the FDA said:

“At this time, Caribeña brand papayas from Mexico have been identified as a brand linked to these illnesses. Additional brands will be announced as the information becomes available.”

Sources:

PAPAYA RECALL: AS SALMONELLA OUTBREAK SPREADS, IMPORTER URGES CONSUMERS TO STAY AWAY

Importer finally recalls papayas linked to deadly outbreak

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