Mango salmonella outbreak felt across North America
There have been 73 cases of salmonella in the state of California, for example and, although the source has not been confirmed at this stage, the strain is the same as that in Canada. In addition to this, two thirds of sufferers have reported consumption of mango prior to infection.
Retailers and fresh produce companies have been fast to respond to the outbreaks. United Supermarkets in Texas, for example, have pulled mexican mangoes from their shelves.
Tommy Wilkins, Director of prodce procurement at the chain, said. "There is no evidence that any products that have come through our stores were contaminated - we are simply taking every precaution in an effort to protect the welfare of our guests."
At the same time, Freska Produce International have issued a statement that their products are not affected by the voluntary recall of "Daniella" mangoes.
The company reports that they pack their mangoes only under the labels "Freska" and "Bunny." They say that, in addition to their usual food safety procedures, they took steps to test both their facilities and fruit with accredited third party auditors. The tests results showed no traces of salmonella in their products and are available on request.
Source: latimes.com; connectamarillo.com; freska.com