FDA Traces Listeria Source

It was the cantaloupe in the packing facility with the unsanitary conditions. The Food and Drug Administration has pinpointed the source of the nation’s deadliest listeria outbreak. A Colorado cantaloupe farm’s packing facility has been linked to the 25 deaths. The cause seems to be equipment at Jensen Farms that was not cleaned appropriately and the use of washing and drying equipment for packing cantaloupe as well as other raw agricultural commodities. The lack of a precooling step to cool the fruit before cold storage may have led to the growth of the bacteria. The outbreak, which has diminished but is still not contained, has infected 123 in 26 states.