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Cantaloupe Warnings Unjust Says Honduran President

On Saturday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning to grocers to remove from their shelves all cantaloupes shipped from Agropecuaria Montelibano, a melon-processing company located on the Pacific coast in southern Honduras. Consumers who’ve recently purchased cantaloupes were also called upon to determine from their retailers the source of the fruits purchased before eating it.

An outbreak of salmonella, believed to be associated with Honduran cantaloupes, in 16 states and Canada has left 59 people sick, with 14 of them becoming ill enough to require hospitalization. Thus far, no deaths have been reported with the salmonella outbreak.

Salmonella infection causes symptoms which include abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever.

On Sunday, Manuel Zelaya, President of Honduras, described the FDA warnings as “extreme and imprudent.” He claims the warnings are “unjust” since no conclusive evidence has yet been discovered in laboratory and clinical tests.

President Zelaya suggests the cantaloupes may have been contaminated with the salmonella bacterium during shipment, since the contamination is coming from the peel of the fruit but not from the edible inside part of the fruit.

The Honduran trade minister, Fredys Cerrato, also expressed dismay with the FDA actions, citing no corresponding salmonella outbreak in Honduras and no release to Honduras of the details of the FDA’s investigation.

In an interview on CNN en Espanol, Cerrato says 5,000 people work in the melon-processing plant, which is a part of a $100 million (US) industry located on the country’s southern seacoast.

He further stated that Honduran agriculture experts are expected to meet with FDA officials in Washington today to continue the investigation. He has said that the US will be required to compensate any losses to Agropecuaria Montelibano if the contamination should be tracked to another source.

The salmonella outbreak has been reported in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, Tennessee, Georgia, New Jersey, and New York. Health officials in these states will continue the investigation in collaboration with the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Source: International Herald Tribune

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