Salmonella outbreak may have started at NJ produce company

A fruit mix produced by a New Jersey company is a potential source of a salmonella outbreak with 96 cases reported nationwide, according to the FDA.

Tailor Cut Produce, of North Brunswick, recalled its Fruit Luau fruit sold from Nov. 15 to Dec. 1 after an initial breakout of 31 cases at four healthcare facilities in southeast Pennsylvania was traced back to the product by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

The mix of cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple, and grapes was sold primarily to food service and institutional food operators and served in restaurants, banquet facilities, hotels, schools and long-term care facilities in New Jersey, Delaware, New York and Pennsylvania.

The illness spread as people from other states were exposed during visits to the state, the FDA said.

Twelve cases were reported in New Jersey in Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Middlesex, Ocean, Somerset and Union counties, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.

Delaware has 39 cases while Pennsylvania has 34, according to the FDA. The last case was reported on Dec. 10. The outbreak has hospitalized 27 people.

According to the CDC, most people infected with salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after being exposed to the bacteria. The illness usually lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment.

In some people, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the bloodstream and then to other places in the body. In rare cases, salmonella infection can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics.

It mostly affects children younger than 5 years, adults older than 65 years, and people with weakened immune systems.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ