Papayas distributed by Agromod Produce of McAllen, Texas, are being recalled throughout the US and Canada due to an outbreak of Salmonella.
Recent sampling by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found the outbreak strain in two papaya samples collected at Agromod Produce in McAllen and at the US border destined for Agromod Produce.
The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are investigating 97 reported cases of Salmonella Agona, including 10 hospitalisations, in 23 states related to the consumption of papayas.
Distribution of the product has been suspended while FDA and the company continue their investigation as to the source of the problem.
The FDA is warning consumers not to eat papayas from Agromod Produce, which imports the fruit from Mexico.
Consumers, retailers and others who have papayas from Agromod Produce should discard them in a sealed container so people and animals, including wild animals, cannot eat them.
Agromod is voluntarily recalling all Blondie, Yaya, Mañanita, and Tastylicious Brand papayas sold prior to 23 July 2011.
The FDA is working with Agromod Produce to determine if previous shipments of potentially contaminated papaya could still be in US commerce.
On 27 July, GHSW, a Houston-based distributor voluntarily recalled fresh-cut fruit products containing papaya it sent to retail establishments and distribution centres in Texas.
