FDA names Indiana farm tied to salmonella in melons - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

The Food and Drug Administration has identified a southern Indiana farm that produces cantaloupes linked to a deadly salmonella outbreak and says the operation has recalled its melons.

The FDA says Chamberlain Farms of Owensville could be one source of the multistate outbreak.

A Chamberlain Farms attorney says it voluntarily withdrew its cantaloupes last week and that all its retail and wholesale purchasers complied. Owensville is 20 miles north of Evansville.

Tim Chamberlain says Chamberlain Farms stopped producing and distributing melons on Aug. 16 when the Food and Drug Administration alerted him to a possible health risk.

Chamberlain says he doesn't know the cause of the outbreak and that the farm is awaiting instruction from government agencies on what to do next. Owensville is about 20 miles north of Evansville.

FDA spokeswoman Shelly Burgess says Chamberlain Farms is not necessarily the sole source of the outbreak, saying an investigation is under way.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that of 178 people infected in 21 states, two have died and 62 have been hospitalized.

The FDA says the formal recall will aid that effort and boost awareness.

Salmonellosis causes diarrhea, fever and cramps and can be fatal.

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