Del Monte To Sue Oregon Over Recalled Cantaloupes

PORTLAND, Ore.One week after filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to lift the agencys rule restricting the importation of fresh cantaloupes into the United States, Del Monte Fresh Produce announced its intent to sue the Oregon Public Health Division and its senior epidemiologist over the March recall of its imported cantaloupes.

The company filed a notice to sue notifying the Oregon Health Authority's Public Health Division of its conduct and misleading allegations regarding Del Monte Fresh's imported cantaloupes as the source of a Salmonella outbreak earlier this year despite the lack of sufficient factual basis.

In March, nearly 5,000 cartons of Guatemalan cantaloupes grown and shipped from Del Monte Freshs farm Asuncion Mita in Guatemala were recalled after the FDA reported finding an epidemiologic link between the cantaloupes and about 12 cases of Salmonella Panama in seven states.

Del Monte Fresh contends their cantaloupes are farmed, processed, transported, and stored under state-of-the-art food safety controls that far exceed FDA regulatory requirements.

Notably, "[t]he FDA investigation ultimately found no connection between Del Monte Fresh cantaloupes and any cases of Salmonella Panama, including in Oregon," the company said. "FDA issued a notice ending the recall on July 29, 2011."