WASHINGTON — The North Carolina supplier Burch Equipment has recalled 188,902 cantaloupes potentially tainted with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on Thursday.
This recall is an expansion on a smaller recall announced last week. All of the recalled melons were shipped to East Coast stores between July 15 and July 27, with a “Burch Farms” or “Cottle Strawberry, Inc” label and the PLU numbers 4319 or 4319, according to the FDA.
No one has reported an illness linked to the tainted melons.
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Since Listeria infected cantaloupes from Jensen Farms in Colorado sickened 139 people and caused 29 deaths, the cantaloupe industry has put a focus on food safety. In May, the California Cantaloupe handlers voted to update their foods safety program and industry members have been working to develop cantaloupe specific guidance.
