When most people purchase food in the store it is assumed that it is safe and will not make them sick. Presumably that is what consumers in Pennsylvania and throughout the country were thinking when they purchased cantaloupe from local grocery stores.

Jensen Farms located in Colorado has recalled all of the Rocky Ford brand cantaloupe it harvested this year due to the potential that it is contaminated with Listeria. The fruit was shipped to 25 states including Pennsylvania between late July and early September. In total, the recall is for over 300,000 cases. This is the first time Listeria has been connected to the fruit and it has not yet been determined how the contamination occurred.

When the person who contracts Listeria is young and healthy, the illness is usually fairly mild. For older people, pregnant woman and new babies the illness can be more serious and even lead to death. Muscle aches, fever, nausea and diarrhea are typical symptoms people complain of.

Thus far 13 people have died after eating the contaminated cantaloupe. In addition, over 70 people have reported becoming sick in 18 states. A majority of the people who died had underlying health conditions and were over 60-years-old.

While many may feel weary about eating cantaloupe at all, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that cantaloupe that wasn't gown at Jensen Farms is okay for all to eat. If anyone is unsure of the origin of cantaloupe they have purchased however, it should be thrown away.

Source: msnbc.com, "Tainted cantaloupe likely gone, but more illness expected," JoNel Aleccia, Sept. 28, 2011