Cantaloupe Outbreak in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska Albuquerque Clovis

Cantaloupe Outbreak in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska

Our attorneys are investigating a cantaloupe outbreak that has been linked to Rocky Ford cantaloupe. People in several states have been sickened with listeriosis, an infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes. Four people have died. Hold the grower and others accountable. For a free consultation regarding a cantaloupe lawsuit, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our free consultation form.

The number of infected persons identified in each state is as follows: Colorado (11), Nebraska (1), New Mexico (9), Oklahoma (1), and Texas (2). The four people who died include one person in Colorado and three in New Mexico: a 93-year-old man from Bernalillo County (Albuquerque area), a 63-year-old man from Bernalillo County, and a 61-year-old woman from Curry County (Clovis).

Rocky Ford cantaloupes are grown in the Rocky Ford region of southeastern Colorado. The cantaloupes suspected in this cantaloupe outbreak were harvested in August and September, distributed widely in the United States. Although there is solid evidence that Rocky Ford cantaloupe are the source of this outbreak, there has been no cantaloupe recall, and the CDC admits that contaminated cantaloupe are currently available in grocery stores.

Ill persons were interviewed about exposures during the month before becoming ill; investigators compared their responses to persons with listeriosis reported through the CDC Listeria Initiative, whose illnesses were not part of this outbreak. Preliminary results strongly suggest that illnesses are linked to consumption of cantaloupes. Several ill persons who remembered the type of cantaloupe said they were Rocky Ford cantaloupes. Product traceback information indicated these cantaloupes were marketed as cantaloupes harvested in the Rocky Ford region.

Laboratory testing by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment identified Listeria monocytogenes bacteria on cantaloupe collected from grocery stores and from an ill person’s home. Product traceback information from Colorado State officials indicated these cantaloupes were harvested in the Rocky Ford region.

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