In January, the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee released a bipartisan staff report that details the findings from the committee’s investigation into the September 2011 listeria outbreak, which was traced to tainted cantaloupes from Colorado’s Jensen Farms. The report suggests potential causes for the outbreak.
Ngokusho the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were 29 reported deaths from last fall’s listeria outbreak. As of November, CDC reported 139 people with severe illnesses.
Last September, CDC traced the listeria to tainted cantaloupes from Colorado’s Jensen Farms. The outbreak led to national attention and a widespread drop in cantaloupe sales across the country, according to FDA, USDA and numerous news agencies.
“I’ve had several customers ask me about cantaloupes every day,” said Justin Weaver, the produce manager at Village Foods in Bryan, Texas. “People just aren’t buying cantaloupes.”
Ekuvakasheni okungamenyezelwanga ngoSepthemba 10, FDA took 39 samples from throughout the Jensen Farms facility. Of the samples, 13 contained listeria contamination. During a second, announced visit, FDA conducted an environmental assessment to identify the factors that led to the contamination. FDA identified multiple potential problems, the report said. These included the lack of a pre-cooling step to remove field heat before the cantaloupes were moved into cold storage; the inability to easily clean the packing facility floor and packing equipment; facility design flaws that allowed water to collect in proximity to equipment and employees walkways; and washing and drying equipment that was originally used on a different agricultural commodity. On October 18, 2011, FDA issued a warning letter to Jensen Farms in relation to these findings.
Cantaloupes enkantolo
Amacala amaningi afakwe ngenxa yokuqubuka kwe-listeria. Amacala aqondiswe kunoma ngubani ohlobene nokukhula, ukusatshalaliswa nokuthengiswa kwama-cantaloupes angcolile. Phakathi kwabathengisi ababhekene nokuqubuka kwalesi sifo yi-Walmart.
"Ngokushesha lapho saziswa ngokuqubuka kwe-listeria ehlobene ne-cantaloupes, ngokushesha sasebenza nezikhulu zezempilo nabahlinzeki bempahla ukuthola umsuka walokhu kungcola," kusho uDianna Gee, okhulumela i-Walmart. “Ngenxa yokuqapha okukhulu, empeleni saqala ukususa ama-cantaloupes e-Rocky Ford ezitolo zethu ngaphambi kokuba sibizwe ngokusemthethweni. Ithimba lethu lokuphepha kokudla liyaqhubeka nokusebenzisana nabahlinzeki bethu ukuze siqinisekise ukuthi sinikeza amakhasimende ethu ama-cantaloupe kuphela atholakala ezindaweni izikhulu zezempilo ezibona ziphephile.”
UWalmart ubizwe ecaleni elifakwe egameni likaCharles Palmer waseColorado, owagula ngesikhathi kuqubuka lesi sifo ngemuva kokudla i-cantaloupe ayithenga esitolo saseColorado Walmart.
"Abathengisi bazosala bephethe isikhwama," kusho uBill Marler, ummeli osebenza ngokuqubuka koshevu ekudleni. “Izitolo ezidayisa ukudla nezitolo ezidayise lo mkhiqizo, kusukela ezitolo ezinkulu kuya ezitobhini eziseceleni komgwaqo, kuzomele zingenelele ukuvala lesi sikhala.”
UMarler uvule icala ngokumelene neJensen Farms, Frontera Produce kanye neWalmart egameni likaPalmer. Ingenye yamasudi ayisishiyagalolunye anjalo alethwe yihhovisi likaMarler. IJensen Farms ingomunye wabalimi baseColorado beFrotera Produce. I-Frotera imaketha ama-cantaloupe e-Colorado avela endaweni yase-Rocky Ford, lapho ukukhiqizwa kwe-cantaloupe kwezentengiso kwaqala khona e-United States ngo-1895.
"Mayelana necala le-Walmart, sifisela uMnu. Palmer okuhle kodwa futhi sithatha izimangalo ezifana nezakhe njengento ebalulekile," kusho uGee.
Icala lakamuva lika-Marler libiza izinkampani ezenze ucwaningo lokuphepha e-Jensen Farms ngoJulayi: I-Primus Labs, isevisi yokuhlola ukuphepha kokudla eseCalifornia; kanye ne-Texas-based Bio-Food Safety Inc., inkampani empeleni eyenze ukuhlolwa ngaphansi kwenkontileka evela ku-Primus Labs.
Icala bekungelokuqala elafakwa eNew Mexico egameni lesisulu sokuqubuka kwesifo i-listea, uFlorence Wilcox. U-Wilcox waqala ukuba nezimpawu, okuhlanganisa umkhuhlane, ukugodola kanye nokuba buthakathaka, cishe ngo-Septhemba 8, ngemva kokudla ama-cantaloupe angcolile. UWilcox ushone ngoSepthemba 15, kusho uMarler.
IJensen Farms ikhiphe isitatimende ithi ivala ukusebenza okwesikhashana.
“Ukusebenza kwethu ngeke kuqhubeke kuze kube sigculiseka ngokuphelele ukuthi senze konke okusemandleni ethu ukuqinisekisa ukuphepha kwemikhiqizo yethu,” kusho isitatimende. "Siyaqhubeka nokubambisana ngokugcwele ne-FDA nezinye izinhlaka zikahulumeni futhi sidlulisa ukukhathazeka kwethu okujulile kunoma yimaphi amalungu omphakathi athintwe yilokhu kuqubuka."
Ukuhlola impendulo
Ukuthola amagciwane kuma-cantaloupe kungaba nzima impela, ngokusho kwe-FDA. Indlela yamanje yindlela yokuhlanza, encike enanini lokungcola okukhona ku-cantaloupe, kanye nokuthi izinto eziphilayo ziqine kangakanani embotsheni. Uma kunezinga eliphansi lokungcoliswa, eliboshwe ngokuqinile, khona-ke indlela yokuhlanza ingaveza ama-negative amanga.
Isixazululo esisodwa okungenzeka sivele ku- Inyuvesi yase-Idaho, lapho abafundi u-Intan Karina, Jo Scholkowfsky, Sarah Reichman kanye noKeith Christopher bakhela umhloli we-listeria. Ekuqaleni kuka-2011, ngosizo lwabeluleki bobuhlakani, abafundi abane baklama umshini wokuwasha i-cantaloupe ohlanza i-listeria namanye amagciwane abulalayo. Yaqale yakhiwa ngenxa yokuqubuka kwe-salmonella, nayo e-cantaloupe, nanjengokungena emqhudelwaneni wokuklama owawubanjwe Inyuvesi yaseMexico I-Consortium Yezemfundo Nocwaningo Lokulawulwa Kodoti
Isampula/ithuluzi lokuhlanza i-cantaloupe ligqugquzelwe abahlanzi bebhola legalofu abasetshenziswa ngesandla obabona ezifundweni zegolide, kusho u-David Down, umeluleki wobuhlakani eqenjini labafundi. Idivayisi ibhulasha i-cantaloupe ngenkathi iwasha ngesixazululo sebhafa ukugcina amagciwane eqoqwe ephila ukuze ahlaziywe. Idivayisi yahlolwa ngohlobo lwe-laboratory lwe-E. coli, kwase kuba i-cantaloupe ecwiliswe “amanzi echibi lamadada” agcwele amagciwane emqhudelwaneni.
"Idivayisi ayizange ihlolwe nge-listeria, kodwa asikho isizathu sokukholelwa ukuthi ngeke isebenze kahle ku-listeria njengoba yenza ku-salmonella ne-E. coli uma isampula eqoqiwe ihlaziywa i-listeria," kusho u-Down.
Akukaze kube nomsebenzi owenziwe emshinini kusukela kulo mqhudelwano, futhi umsebenzi wesikhathi esizayo uzodinga umxhasi wezezimali, kusho u-Down. I-Idaho akusona isimo esikhiqiza i-cantaloupe, futhi izimali zesabelo-mali zikahulumeni azitholakali.