As many as one-half million California-grown cantaloupes were recalled Thursday “out of an abundance of caution” by Fresno-based DFI Marketing Inc. Most have already been consumed without any illnesses being associated with them. But a single sample in a test by USDA’ Microbiological Data Program (MDP) did come back positive for Salmonella and that prompted recall of the cantaloupes that were widely distributed from Aug. 27 to Sept. 10. Most fresh fruit and vegetable tests in the last decade have been conducted by MDP, but no funding exists to continue the program when the next federal fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. Critics say its testing results too often come after fresh products are consumed. 
DFI said approximately 28,000 cartons of California cantaloupes are included in the recall. They are packed 6,9, 12, 15, or 18 per carton. The DFI brand cartons are stamped with “825 CALIFORNIA WESTSIDE.” All were packed on Aug. 26. They were shipped beginning the next day to Mexico and the following 21 states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. DFI also uses third-party laboratories to sample its products for foodborne pathogens prior to harvest, but the company’s samples all came back negative.
