FDA: Ind. farm could be a source of tainted melons

(CBS/AP) OWENSVILLE, Ind. — The Food and Drug Administration has identified an Indiana farm tied to a recent salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupe and says the operation has launched a formal recall of the melons.

Chamberlain Farms, of Owensville, could be one source of the multistate outbreak, the FDA said in Wednesday evening.

Tim Chamberlain said his farm stopped producing and distributing melons on Aug. 16 when the Food and Drug Administration alerted him to a possible health risk.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that, of 178 people infected in 21 states, two people have died and 62 have been hospitalized.

Chamberlain said he doesn't know the cause of the outbreak and that the farm is awaiting instruction from government agencies on what to do next. Owensville is about 20 miles north of Evansville.

FDA spokeswoman Shelly Burgess said Chamberlain Farms is not necessarily the sole source of the outbreak, saying an investigation is under way.

Salmonellosis causes diarrhea, fever and cramps. Most recover without treatment, but it can be deadly for some.