LA CROSSE, Wis. — Kwik Trip has initiated a voluntary recall of several fruit cups and trays containing cantaloupe due to potential Salmonella contamination in a nationwide outbreak.
A mixed fruit cup, cantaloupe cup and fruit tray that contain cantaloupe from TruFresh, Kwik Trip, Inc. are now being recalled in addition to whole cantaloupes by TruFresh that were previously recalled.
The products have sell-by dates of Nov. 4th, 2023 through Dec. 3rd, 2023. They were distributed to Kwik Trip, Kwik Star, Stop-N-Go, Tobacco Outlet Plus Grocery and Tobacco Outlet Plus convenience stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, Illinois and South Dakota.
So far no illnesses associated with the three products from Kwik Trip have been reported. The retailor said customers who have any of the affected fruit should discard it immediately, or they can return it to their local store for a full refund.
President and CEO of the Medical College of Wisconsin Dr. John Raymond told WTMJ that Salmonella is difficult to detect as a consumer: “You can’t tell from eating the food that it’s tainted. It looks and smells and tastes normal.”
If you cannot tell if a cantaloupe is part of the recall, health officials recommend throwing it away.
As of Tuesday, 11/28/23, the total Salmonella case count remains at 99 people in 32 states. A total of eight cases have been reported in Wisconsin and two deaths nationwide.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely much higher than reported numbers because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella. It can also take up to 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.