Fruit Recall Linked To This One Virginia Grocery Store

EMPORIA, VA — Only one store in Virginia has been linked to this week's recall of pre-cut melons, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The store is Piggly Wiggly in Emporia, in southern Virginia, officials said as of Saturday. Other retail locations may be added to the list, according to the new update.

Fruit salad mixes containing pre-cut melon have been connected to a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella that has sickened at least 60 people, officials said.

Consumers should not eat the following items sold in clear plastic clamshell containers from locations included in the recall, according to the Food and Drug Administration:

• Fresh cut watermelon
• Honeydew melon
• Cantaloupe
• Fresh-cut fruit medleys that contain watermelon, honeydew or cantaloupe

Eating products contaminated with Salmonella can cause fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. While most infections last 4 to 7 days and do not require treatment, some people get diarrhea so severe that they need to be hospitalized.

So far, 31 people have been hospitalized from with the pre-cut melon recall, according to the Food and Drug Administration reported. Nobody has died.

Salmonella can be fatal for young children, older adults and those whose immune systems are weakened.
People who have symptoms of Salmonella infection should contact their health care provider.

There have been 60 people sickened in five states, all located in the Midwest, as of Friday, according to federal health officials; no illnesses have been reported in Virginia.

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While the contamination remains under investigation, authorities say evidence has pointed to Caito Foods, which has voluntarily recalled the pre-cut melon products it has distributed in more than 20 states. Products have been recalled from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Initially, authorities said that the recall may apply to these stores: Sprouts, Costco, Kroger, Trader Joe's, Walgreens, Walmart and Whole Foods/Amazon. The list may be updated, and officials caution that it may have been sold under a different name.

Federal health officials announced the recall on June 8 for several states and added Virginia to the list on Thursday, June 14.

See the latest list of stores impacted by the melon recall from the Food and Drug Administration and the agency's page about the recall.

SEE ALSO: VA Food Recall: Pre-Cut Melons Linked To Salmonella Outbreak

Image via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.