Recall of Honduran Melons Turning Into International Incident
Honduras is not happy with Uncle Sam. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is telling people to toss cantaloupes from Agropecuaria Montelibano in Honduras.
At least 50 people in 16 states have become sick with salmonella from eating the Honduran cantaloupes. The FDA warning, however, has itself turned into an international incident.
Honduran President Manuel Zelaya calls the FDA action "unjust" and "extreme and imprudent."
President Zelaya says the Honduran melons were not contaminated on the inside, but on the peel. That would indicate they came into contact with salmonella bacteria during shipment.
Symptoms of foodborne salmonella infection include nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps.
The FDA says no deaths have been linked to the salmonella outbreak, although 14 people have been hospitalized.
Growing cantaloupes for export, mostly to the United States, is a $100 million industry in Honduras. It employs 5,000. President Zelaya, pictured here, is certain to keep up the pressure on the U.S.
