THE GROWER named as a potential source of a deadly outbreak of listeria has announced it is resuming its production of rockmelons.
Contaminated fruit from Rombola Family Farms, located in the NSW Riverina, has been linked with the spread of the disease which infected 19 people across the country.
Six deaths have been linked to the outbreak — three from Victoria and three from New South Wales — which was first revealed in February.
Shortly after the outbreak was detected, the NSW Food Authority said it was working closely with the grower to determine the exact cause.
And this morning, the farm announced it was resuming the production, packing and sale of rockmelons this week — having met all requirements of the NSW Food Authority’s Clearance Program.
“While the NSW Food Authority identified a link to Rombola as the source of the listeria outbreak, neither the Authority nor an independent microbiologist identified any specific source associated with Rombola or with our washing, storage and packing facilities for rockmelons,” a spokeswoman for the farm said in a statement.
“Management and staff of Rombola are saddened by the impact the listeria outbreak has had on the community and the rockmelon industry, and reminds people in high risk groups, including the elderly and pregnant women, to follow NSW Health and NSW Food Authority’s guidelines in relation to the preparation and consumption of rockmelon.”
The company added that it will undertake regular mandatory testing of produce in accordance with the Clearance Program supplemented by further daily voluntary testing.
“All rockmelons that were in the supply chain when the possible listeria connection was first identified in February 2018 have been recalled and destroyed,” added the spokeswoman.
Rockmelons began to reappear on some Australian supermarket shelves in March — nearly a month after the fruit was linked to the deadly outbreak.
Woolworths stores in Queensland and Western Australia began restocking the melon sourced from local farms, but shoppers in other states had to wait a little longer.
A spokeswoman said the supermarket has taken a “careful approach” with restocking the fruit and those being sold were from suppliers not affected by the recent outbreak.
Coles, however, held off on selling rockmelons as it continued to work with producers to meet its new increased standards.
The Australian Melon Association has welcomed the fruit’s comeback, which comes just in time for the melon season in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia.
“Growers in these regions want to reassure consumers that they have been reviewing their processing practices to ensure that the rockmelons are safe to eat,” industry development manager Dianne Fullelove said in a statement.
A total of 19 people have been infected during the outbreak — linked to Rombola Family Farms — including the six mostly elderly people who subsequently died.
The most recent, a woman in her 90s, had significant underlying health problems.
Meanwhile, demand for the fruit overseas has increased with a Western Australian rockmelon exporter reporting that Japanese contacts have placed rockmelon orders.
“This is a huge vote of confidence in our industry and the efforts we are making to ensure that Australian rockmelons meet customers’ expectations — both here in Australia and internationally,” Ms Fullelove said.
Listeria starts with flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhoea. For people with a compromised immune system, the elderly and pregnant, it can result in severe illness and even death.
— with AAP
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