Contaminated Colorado cantaloupe not a concern on campus

By Vanessa Harmoush in Campus, Environment, Front Page, News on Oct 14, 2011 5:11 / comments

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported 116 infections due to Listeria from contaminated cantaloupe grown in Colorado in 22 states since the FDA first issued a recall on Sept. 14.

CU has said not to worry about any cantaloupe on campus as they have removed any recalled fruit from circulation. Pictured here, cantaloupe served at the UMC on Monday, Oct. 10. (CU Independent/Robert R. Denton)

The FDA has confirmed that 100 percent of businesses to receive cantaloupes from the contaminated farm are being contacted and they are continuing to review the distribution records of cantaloupe from the farm, according to their website.

The University of Colorado Housing and Dining staff said students shouldn’t worry about contaminated cantaloupes on campus since all melons delivered from the contaminated farm were promptly removed at the time of recall.

Lauren Heising, a sustainable dining coordinator for Housing and Dining services, said that all cantaloupe was removed from campus dining halls four days before the recall went public.

“Early Monday morning we pulled all our cantaloupe at that time,” Heising said. “All whole cantaloupes and our product called mixed fruit, which includes cantaloupe, honey dew, and watermelon.”

Dining service knew of the recall early due to strong relationships with vendors of all food products supplied to campus, Heising said.

“We have very strong relationships with all vendors that will alert us of any potential or voluntary [recalls] that will be suspects in any food outbreak,” Heising said. “We know which products we serve and which ones we don’t. We depend on our vendors to get emails on any voluntary and mandatory FDA recalls.”

Heising said cantaloupe was pulled from campus dining halls on Monday, and was replaced with a new shipment of cantaloupe from California.

Despite the fact that the cantaloupe at the dining halls is now coming from California, some students are still nervous as to whether they should eat it or not.

Jade Scales, an 18-year-old freshman international affairs major, has decided to put off from eating cantaloupe for a while.

“I used to eat it every day for breakfast,” Scales said. “I had a scare. I had a stomach ache and I thought it was because of the cantaloupe and it has put me off it.”

Students are not the only ones who have been worrying about the cantaloupe in the dining halls. CU parent Mary Jaccodine e-mailed her son warning him about the potential Listeria threat.

“I wanted him to stay alive,” Jaccodine said.

Cantaloupe from Jensen Farms has been completely taken off of the market, as stated on the FDA’s website.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Vanessa Harmoush at Vanessa.harmoush@colorado.edu