The FDA is advising consumers not to eat Caribeña brand Maradol papayas from Mexico because they may be contaminated with Salmonella. The papayas are green before they ripen and turn yellow.
Papaya samples taken by health officials in Baltimore tested positive for the same strains of Salmonella that were found in people who fell ill.
The papayas were sold in Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.
Caribeña papayas were imported from Mexico and distributed by Grande Produce in San Juan, Texas. The farm(s) producing these papayas appear to be only in Mexico, according to preliminary investigations.
On June 26, 2017, the CDC notified the FDA about a cluster of Salmonella illnesses that were closely related, suggesting that the people were all sickened by eating the same type of food.
On July 17, 2017, Maryland reported that 3 out of 10 samples of Caribeña yellow Maradol papayas from Mexico tested positive for Salmonella. None of the green papayas were positive, but the FDA says consumers should not eat Caribeña papayas regardless of the color.
Twelve people have been hospitalized due to severe Salmonella infections and 1 death was reported from New York City, according to the outbreak investigation by the the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). No recall has been issued yet.
Source: FDA Investigates Multiple Salmonella Outbreak Strains Linked to Papayas
Editor’s note: For more information on food poisoning outbreak lawsuits and your legal rights, please contact the nationally recognized food poisoning lawyers at Ron Simon & Associates. Ron Simon’s groundbreaking work on behalf of victims in recent national foodborne illness outbreaks has been featured on NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX and virtually all other major television networks and print media.Click Here for a Free Confidential Case Consultation