In OR, Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Sliced Melons

Eighteen people have been reported as becoming infected with Salmonella after eating store-bought, pre-but watermelon, canteloupe, and mixes containing those fruits.

Companies producing cut melon products normally have tight controls over this type of RTE operation, including a fruit washing/sanitizing step and then tight sanitary controls to prevent contamination after washing/sanitizing, through slicing and then packaging - good line sanitation and hygienic zoning.  So to have Salmonella contamination, one would guess either the washing/sanitizing was inadequate or there were some lapses in sanitation/hygienic zoning.

Oregon Live
http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2017/12/salmonella_outbreak_in_oregon.html
Salmonella outbreak in Oregon, Washington linked to pre-cut fruit
Updated Dec 1; Posted Dec 1
By Brad Schmidt, bschmidt@oregonian.com
The Oregonian/OregonLive

Packages of Cut Fresh Vegetables Recalled Due to Listeria Positive Sample

A Texas firm is recalling various fresh diced and sliced vegetables after the Georgia Department of Agriculture sampled product and found it was positive for Listeria monocytogenes.  The date range for production lots recalled is about two weeks with use by dates from 8/7 to 8/19/16. At this point, no illnesses have been reported.

The reason for the broad range of items is that there must be concern for cross contamination in the facility.  Being that there are sliced and diced vegetables, the equipment used for processing, the cutting equipment, the flume lines for transferring, and the packaging equipment can be areas for cross contamination or even be a harborage site for the organism if it was not properly cleaned.


FDA Recall Notice

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm518335.htm
Country Fresh Recalls Product Because Of Possible Health Risk
For Immediate Release
August 26, 2016

Fresh Cut Onions and Celery Recalled Due to Presense of Listeria

Gills Onions is recalling fresh cut onions and cut celery after random FDA testing yielded a positive result for Listeria. The 6000 pounds of the retail product was shipped to 8 different states and Canada. There have been no reported illnesses. (http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm312707.htm).

Gills, one of the nation’s largest family-owned onions growers operates one of the largest, most innovative and sustainable fresh cut onion plants in the world (quoted from their website -http://www.gillsonions.com/). However for Gills, this is their second recall due to Listeria within the last 3 months. On May 19, 2012, Gills Onions initiated a voluntary recall, 2,360 pounds of diced red onions as a result of a routine and random test directed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. (http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm304732.htm)

A study published in JFP indicates that Listeria monocytogenes populations will remain constant on fresh cut onions at 4ºC, but will grow slowly at 10ºC (Farber, etal JFP 1997). Certainly, higher temperatures or adding cut onions to a salad or a sandwich and then holding that at an elevated temperature would likely enhance growth potential.


Gills recalls fresh-cut onions, celery in U.S., Canada
The Packer
http://www.thepacker.com/fruit-vegetable-news/fresh-produce-retail/Gills-recalls-fresh-cut-onions-celery-163045406.html
07/19/2012 11:06:21 AM
Coral Beach

Possible listeria contamination spurred Gills Onions LLC to voluntarily recall 6,000 pounds — an entire day’s production — of diced and slivered red and yellow onions and diced onion-celery mix.

No illnesses had been reported at the time the recall was issued on the evening of July 18, according to Amy Philpott, a company spokeswoman.

The Oxnard, Calif., produce company shipped the onions July 2-4 directly to retailers in Canada and in California, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Washington. There are nine different products in the recall, and they all have July 20 use-by dates.