Major Fruit Recall Has Resulted in 2 Dead, Nearly 100 Infected—Here's What You Need to Know

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that two people have died and nearly 100 fallen ill due to a recent outbreak of Salmonella linked to contaminated cantaloupes and other cut fruit. The public health agency issued a food safety alert on Friday, November 24 detailing the extent of the outbreak as well as the steps necessary to ensure public safety until the issue has been resolved.

The alert has confirmed the unfortunate deaths of two people in Minnesota linked directly to the salmonella outbreak, with illnesses being reported across 32 states and accumulating in at least 45 hospitalizations so far. As of now, the reports of illnesses have been limited to Arizona, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin and Minnesota; however, the CDC is working overtime to get ahead of the issue before it spreads any further.

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A number of fruit brands have been tied to the outbreak, including whole cantaloupes from the Vinyard brand, featuring stickers that read “Malichita” and “Rudy,” with the number “4050” and “Product of Mexico/produit du Mexique” printed in unison. Cantaloupe cubes, melon medleys and fruit medleys sold in Oklahoma stores between October 30, 2023 and November 10, 2023 with the yellow “Vinyard” label and a red “Fresh” label are all included in the CDC’s report.

In addition to the Vinyard brand, Aldi’s whole cantaloupe and pre-cut fruit products are also being investigated under the recall. This includes cantaloupe chunks and pineapple spears in clamshell packaging with best-by dates between October 27, 2023 and October 31, 2023 sold at Aldi locations in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Pre-cut cantaloupes — including cantaloupe chunks, seasonal blend, melon mixes and fruit mixes — sold by Walmart’s Freshness Guaranteed brand and RaceTrac have been flagged in the CDC’s report as well. These fruit blends are packaged in clear square or round plastic containers and feature best-by dates between November 7, 2023 and November 12, 2023 and were sold in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

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It is recommended that you do not eat any recalled cantaloupes or other fruit products detailed in the CDC’s report. Consumers are encouraged to either throw them away or return them to their place of purchase for a refund. It is also very important that you wash any items or surfaces that may have come into contact with the recalled fruit using hot soapy water or a dishwasher.

Salmonella symptoms can progress severely depending on the case, so if you or someone you know is experiencing diarrhea and a fever higher than 102°F that does not improve after three days from eating the contaminated fruit — or worse, bloody diarrhea and constant vomiting — please seek help from your healthcare provider. For more information about salmonella and the symptoms involved, you can visit the CDC’s extremely helpful “Questions and Answers” page to answer all of your questions thoroughly. 

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