Papaya Recall Grows Due To Salmonella Outbreak

A recall on papayas has been expanded to three brands, with more recalls possible, after the Food and Drug Administration narrowed in on the source of a salmonella outbreak that has been blamed for at least one death and has sickened over 100 more dating back to May.

The FDA is now advising that consumers dispose of all Maradol papayas grown on the Carica de Campeche farm in Mexico which is believed to be the source of the outbreak. Specifically, three brands of this variety of papaya have been recalled: Caribeña brand papayas, distributed by Grande Produce; certain Cavi brand papayas distributed by Agroson’s; and Valery brand papayas, distributed by Freshtex Produce, LLC. (Links lead to the individual recalls.) The FDA also warns that it’s continuing to determine if other brands of papayas also came from this farm and suggests, for now, “consumers should ask their retailers where their papayas came from.” Other farms are also seeing increased testing as an additional precaution. However, as the FDA notes, Mexican papayas have routinely been screened for salmonella since 2011 as part of the importing process.