http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm248103.htm
Del Monte Fresh Produce Voluntarily Recalls Cantaloupes Because Of Possible Health Risk
Contact:
Consumer Contact
1-800-659-6500
Contact-US-Executive-Office@freshdelmonte.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 22, 2011 - Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A., Inc. (“Del Monte Fresh”) of Coral Gables, Florida is voluntarily recalling 4,992 cartons of cantaloupes, each containing 4 plastic mesh sleeves with 3 cantaloupes per sleeve, because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella Panama, 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 Panama often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella Panama 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 through warehouse clubs in Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.
The recalled products consist of cartons of cantaloupes, each containing 4 plastic beige mesh sleeves each sealed with a plastic orange handle with the Del Monte Logo and indication “3 count, Product of Guatemala” with 3 cantaloupes per sleeve and were available for sale between the 10th of March and the 21st of March, 2011. The cantaloupes, grown in and shipped from Del Monte Freshs’ farm Asuncion Mita in Guatemala, have a light brown color skin on the exterior, with orange flesh. The recalled cartons of cantaloupes are dark brown cardboard with the “Del Monte” logo in red lettering and “cantaloupes” in yellow lettering on a green background. The cantaloupes have the lot codes: 02-15-24-10, 02-15-25-10, 02-15-26-10 and 02-15-28-10
This cantaloupe recall is being implemented following a notification from the FDA that there is an epidemiologic link between the cantaloupes and approximately 12 reported cases of Salmonella Panama. Del Monte Fresh has put on hold the production and distribution of the product from the affected farm. The FDA and the Company will continue their investigation as to what, including whether the Company’s product, caused the problem.
Consumers who believe that they are in possession of uneaten cantaloupe affected by this recall should return it to the place of purchase for a refund and for more information may contact 1-800-659-6500 (operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week) or email Del Monte Fresh at Contact-US-Executive-Office@freshdelmonte.com
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Just ran across a very interesting and pretty complete manual for dehydrating - from 1943. (While I WAS several years old, I wasn’t old enough to really be interested in the dehydrating then... LOL)
Seems they pretty well covered anything we might encounter today - little has changed in drying foods, well, maybe we don’t use sulfur so much and tend to use ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) instead, but other than that it is spot on...
/snip/
Home Fruit and Vegetable
Dehydration
E. H. WIEGAND, THOMAS ONSDORFF, and ALYCE HOLMES
RESTRICTIONS that are being imposed in order to conserve
essential materials for war needs make it imperative that
methods of food preservation other than canning be adapted to assist
in building up adequate food supplies. Many families are not in a
position to can yegetables properly, because pressure cookers are not
available. Glass jars, rubber jar rings, and many of the other accessories to canning are becoming scarce. The army, the navy, and the
lend-lease program are taking large volumes of our commercially
packed foods, making some of the important food items hard to
obtain.
The Victory Garden Campaign will increase the raw material
supply to most families, and provision should be made by these
families to preserve the surpluses from their gardens. Where pressure cookers are not available to preserve these surplus vegetables, a
simple small drying unit, used to conserve these products, can be
made or obtained at a nominal cost.