Dirty Equipment Linked to Listeria Outbreak
The deadliest outbreak of foodborne illness in the US in 25 years is being linked to unsanitary conditions at Jensen Farms, a cantaloupe-packing plant in Colorado.
At least 25 people have died and about 125 others have been made ill from eating cantaloupe contaminated with listeria bacteria. Listeriosis causes cramps, diarrhea, headaches, flu-like symptoms, nausea, fever and vomiting.
The elderly, pregnant women and their unborn children, infants and people with compromised immune systems are at greatest risk for dying from listeriosis. About 20 percent of people who contract it do not survive.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says there could have been low level sporadic Listeria monocytogenes in the field where the cantaloupe were grown, which could have been introduced into the packing facility. Also, a truck used to haul culled cantaloupe to a cattle operation was parked adjacent to the packing facility and could have introduced contamination into the facility.
The FDA also notes that:
- The packing facility’s design allowed water to pool on the floor near equipment and employee walkways.
- The packing facility floor was constructed in a manner that made it difficult to clean.
- Packing equipment was not easily cleaned and sanitized and washing and drying equipment used for cantaloupe packing was previously used for postharvest handling of another raw agricultural commodity.
- There was no pre-cooling step to remove field heat from the cantaloupes before cold storage. As the cantaloupes cooled there may have been condensation that promoted the growth of Listeria monocytogenes.
