On November 9, 2023, Sofia Produce LLC recalled all sizes of fresh cantaloupes that may be contaminated with Salmonella.
The California Department of Education Nutrition Services Division strongly recommends that food program operators take precautions to ensure these products are not served or consumed and instead are disposed of per the manufacturer’s instructions.
Please note that per the manufacturer these products are not U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foods items.
The following information is directly from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA):
SOFIA PRODUCE, LLC, of Nogales, Arizona which does business under the name “Trufresh” (“Trufresh”) is recalling all sizes of fresh cantaloupes packaged in cardboard containers labeled with the “Malichita” label, sold under the following sales order numbers between October 16, 2023 and October 23, 2023 because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella:
Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
The Cantaloupes were distributed directly to the following States in the United States: Arizona, California. Maryland, New Jersey, Tennessee, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas, Florida and Canada. The Cantaloupes would have reached consumers through retail produce markets which may be located in states other than those listed above.
The Cantaloupes are packaged in cardboard containers bearing the “Malichita” Label (picture attached). The cantaloupes also have an individual PLU (Price Look-Up Code) sticker placed upon each cantaloupe in the form of the attached picture. As shown in the picture, the PLU sticker has a top half which is white which has the word “Malichita” written in script in black letters. The bottom of the PLU sticker is black and has the number “4050” prominently displayed in white letters together with the words “Product of Mexico/produit du Mexique”. This label will identify individual Malichita cantaloupes purchased by consumers.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the subject cantaloupes, to date.
For further information on this recall, please visit the FDA Safety Alert web page
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Contact Information
Consumers or program operators with questions about the cantaloupe recall can call TruFresh by phone at 520-394-7370.
If you have any other questions regarding this subject, please contact Jeremy Partsch, Office Technician, by phone at 916-322-3005 or by email at [email protected].
Questions:
Nutrition Services Division | 800-952-5609
Last Reviewed: Friday, November 17, 2023