Local Cantalope and Media Reports on Listeria
Many parents have written, asking about where we source our cantaloupe and how we can ensure it is safe from the Listeria recall, currently in the news. Here is the email I wrote this morning to help shed light on the concern as well as a video:
Hello Fellow Parents!
Thank you so very much for writing us. We have received a number of emails about the listeria cantaloupe and I am thrilled to underscore how carefully we source our ingredients, choosing locally grown and organic produce whenever possible. Our cantaloupe is NOT part of the recall and further below you will see the news from the FDA on the exact Colorado-based farm which is affected by the recall.
Our produce distributors are Daylight foods and Ingardia Produce and we are lucky, living in California, that we are able to get so many fruits from within the state.
Please know that we often update our exact produce menu on Facebook and do our best to get the information on our locally sourced, sustainable fruits and veggies straight to you, our concerned Choicelunch parents.
Thank you again for writing and asking. It is parents like you who care so much, that keeps us going, striving to be have the best school lunches possible.
Here is the Official release from the Food and Drug Administration:
Jensen Farms Recalls Cantaloupe Due to Possible Health Risk
Contact:
Consumer
800-267-4561
[email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 14, 2011 – Jensen Farms, of Holly, CO is voluntarily recalling their shipments of Rocky Ford whole cantaloupe because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria. The company is working with the State of Colorado and the FDA to inform consumers of this recall. L. monocytogenes is a bacterium that can contaminate foods and cause a mild non-invasive illness (called listerial gastroenteritis) or a severe, sometimes life-threatening, illness (called invasive listeriosis). Persons who have the greatest risk of experiencing listeriosis after consuming foods contaminated with L. monocytogenes are fetuses and neonates who are infected after the mother is exposed to L. monocytogenes during pregnancy, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems.
The whole cantaloupes in question were shipped between July 29th, 2011 and September 10th 2011, and distributed to the following states: IL, WY, TN, UT, TX, CO, MN, KS, NM, NC, MO, NE, OK, AZ, NJ, NY, PA. The whole cantaloupes have a green and white sticker that reads: Product of USA- Frontera Produce-Colorado Fresh-Rocky Ford-Cantaloupe or a gray, yellow, and green sticker that reads: Jensen Farms-Sweet Rocky Fords. If the whole cantaloupe is unlabeled, please contact your retail store for sourcing information. Jensen Farms is requesting any consumer that many have one of these cantaloupes to please destroy the products.
The recall involves only whole cantaloupe shipped by Jensen Farms, and no other commodities are involved. Jensen Farms feels it is prudent to participate in the recall as the State of Colorado has stated (in their September 12th, 2011 press release) that people at a high risk for infection should not eat whole cantaloupe from the Rocky Ford growing region.
“Jensen Farms continues to stay committed to the highest levels of food safety and maintains many third party safety audits, as we have for many years. We continually look for ways to enhance our protocol,” said Ryan Jensen, partner at Jensen Farms. Jensen Farms is a 3rd generation family farm of the Holly, Colorado community.
