“The tragic deaths from Listeria monocytogenes that are linked to tainted Colorado-grown cantaloupes is an urgent reminder that consumers are waiting for the Food and Drug Administration to release guidelines and regulations to help keep pathogens out of produce,” says Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). “Since 1990, melons have caused at least 36 outbreaks, although this one is the first attributed to Listeria.”
This pathogen is super-virulent for older or immune-compromised consumers. It has a hospitalization rate of over 90 percent. It has a high mortality rate of 16 percent and can also cause miscarriages when pregnant women are exposed, says DeWaal.