Cantaloupe-linked listeria deaths up to 25

WASHINGTON - Twenty-five deaths in 12 states are now linked to listeria in cantaloupe, the deadliest known outbreak of food-borne illness in the United States in more than 25 years.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that 123 people have been sickened, including those who died.

The tainted Colorado cantaloupes should be off of store shelves by now, but the number of illnesses may continue to grow, as the symptoms of listeria can take up to two months to appear.

The CDC on Tuesday confirmed a sixth death in Colorado and a second in New York. Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming have also reported deaths.

Jensen Farms in Holly, Colorado, recalled the cantaloupes last month.

[Jesse_engAmer]

The FDA loves to point fingers.

There are far too many food facilities to inspect with the frequency required. No one questions that. Yet the FDA recently gained new funding and regulatory power paid for by American citizens in the 2011 Food Safety and Modernization Act that is being wasted. For example, why on earth is there a defect handbook while the FDA is claiming to have the public's best interest in mind? There are steps to be made in the area of preventative measures, here is a perfect example to make your skin crawl http://eng.am/qbfYkY).

What the FDA does have is the unique ability to respond to a crisis or outbreak. That is their duty, their role in all this and that is where the FDA floundered as they have in the past. When the first person fell ill, the FDA did not order recalls. They waited. When more people grew ill, they suggested recalls. And finally, 48 days after the first person fell ill, the recalls were ordered.

Americans shouldn't pay taxes that funds the FDA's inaction.