In September, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that 270 persons from 26 states had become ill with one of two strains of Salmonella—Salmonella Typhimurium or Salmonella Newport—after consuming cantaloupe grown by Chamberlain Farms Produce, Inc. of Owensville, Indiana. According to the CDC, 270 outbreak victims were infected with Salmonella Typhimurium and 30 were infected with Salmonella Newport. At least 101 outbreak victims were hospitalized and 3 Kentucky residents died.
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released its Form 483 Report of Inspectional Observations made at the Chamberlain Farms cantaloupe processing facility.
“It is really hard to imagine that almost exactly a year after the deadliest foodborne illness outbreak in a century—one that was traced to cantaloupes—we would have another outbreak. The entire industry should have taken a lesson from the Jensen Farms Listeria outbreak and modified growing and processing practices to prevent bacterial contamination within facilities,” said William Marler, a nationally recognized attorney and food safety advocate who has represented thousands of victims of foodborne illness, including victims of the Chamberlain Farms and Jensen Farms cantaloupe outbreaks.
“I felt like I was reading the Jensen Farms inspection report all over again,” Marler added.