Jan 16, 2012

Valley cantaloupe growers look to regain trust after listeria outbreak

In the wake of last year’s deadly food-borne illness outbreak in cantaloupes, California growers are pushing for a statewide food safety program to regain consumer trust.

The state, led by Fresno County, is the nation’s leading supplier of cantaloupes and has never been linked to a food-borne illness outbreak involving the fruit. But weeks after a Colorado farm was found to be responsible for listeria-tainted melons, the market for cantaloupes plummeted.

The multistate outbreak killed 30 people and sickened more than 115 while shutting down California’s cantaloupe industry. The state’s cantaloupe crop was valued at $166 million in 2010.

And while cantaloupe growers say the incident was tragic, it provided the momentum for the industry to re-examine its food safety practices.

Cantaloupe growers, scientists, food safety experts and retailers gathered in San Diego this week to set priorities and goals for the coming year. The Sacramento Bee

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