(From the nytimes.com) As the death toll rose this week in a devastating listeria outbreak linked to cantaloupes, a national food retailer said that cantaloupe farmers and shippers must confront a history of food safety problems and take steps to make the fruit safe.
On Tuesday federal officials said that there had been at least 19 previous outbreaks involving more than 1,000 illnesses and three deaths resulting from cantaloupe consumption since 1984. The current outbreak, caused by cantaloupes grown in Colorado, has sickened more than 70 people and killed at least 13, making it the deadliest food-borne outbreak in the United States in more than a decade.
“I don’t think the cantaloupe industry can continue on doing the very same thing and expecting a different result,” said Craig Wilson, the head of food safety for Costco, the Seattle-based warehouse retailer, which is regarded as a leader in requiring food safety measures from its suppliers.
“It’s time for companies to get more aggressive. If they know this is going to happen, let’s step up and not let it happen.”
He said that Costco would consider setting standards for how melons are grown and how they are cleaned and handled after they are picked. He said the company would most likely require that suppliers test melons for pathogens before shipping them to Costco.
Read more here: Costco Urges Stricter Safety Measures on Cantaloupes