Caribe Produce LTD, a company based out of McAllen, Texas, has issued a recall on a batch of contaminated papayas. The company has stated that 286 cases of the papaya in question may have been exposed to salmonella. Salmonella is an organism that can cause severe illness and occasionally death, especially in young people, the elderly, and those persons who have weakened immune systems. Healthy people are also put at risk, as salmonella can cause abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Plus, there is a small possibility that the organism can enter the blood and cause arthritis and infections of the arteries themselves.
The fruits were meant to be sold individually, and each have a sticker indicating the brand, Caribeña, the name, Papaya Maradol, the code, 3112, and a website, grandeproduce.com . They shipped in 35 pound cartons before being separated into individual lots.
If you believe you may have a contaminated papaya you can return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. The items were only sold in the Bronx, New York, where customers could have purchased them wholesale or at the retail level. The potentially contaminated papayas were sold between May 14 and May 17.
There have yet to be any reported instances of a person eating the product and becoming infected with salmonella. Should you have questions or concerns about such an illness, or any other topic, Caribe Produce is urging you to give them a call right away.