Groceries Reassure Customers About Cantaloupe
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A salmonella outbreak in cantaloupes has caused two deaths and 141 illnesses so far. In 20 states, people have eaten tainted cantaloupes that have been linked to a farm in Indiana. On its information page, the Center for Disease Control says that cantaloupes not shipped from southwestern Indiana are safe to eat.
Joe Bell, Kroger's manager of marketing and public affairs, confirmed that the grocery store's cantaloupes aren't from the affected region:
"The cantaloupes which are currently in our Kroger stores are not from the area of Indiana being investigated. Cantaloupes in the Kroger's Delta Division, our region, are coming out of California, and the investigation involves Indiana-grown cantaloupes. At this time, the focus is not on any of the suppliers we have used this year. The last cantaloupe shipments that came out of Indiana, to any of our stores, was in late July."
Jonathan Alexander, a manager at Paul's Fruit Market, said, "We've fielded all kinds of phone calls and people coming in asking about it. If we had any, we'd pull them." Paul's Fruit Market is in Kentucky, the hardest-hit state with more than a third of the illnesses and both deaths.
Discussion Starters:
- Do the groceries' statements convince you to buy cantaloupe? Why or why not?
- What else can the stores do to reassure customers?
