by Marie Kauna – EMTV Online, Port Moresby
The Department of Agriculture in the US state of Arizona is working overtime to contain a salmonella outbreak throughout the state. The outbreak has been linked to a batch of imported cucumbers from Mexico.
According to California Department of Public Health, “the recalled cucumbers, grown in Mexico and distributed by Andrew and Williamson Fresh Produce, have caused illness to 285 people in 27 states, including a woman in California who died from the illness.”
Alerts have been made urging the general public who have eaten the cucumbers to see a doctor immediately if they have severe diarrhoea.
Mark Killian, Director of the Arizona Department of Agriculture says, “agriculture is at the root of food safety”, and contributes $17.1 billion into the Arizona economy annually and as part of its responsibility to ensure food supplies are safe, the Department is taking part in the USDA’s Food Safety Education month, to inspect various production plants and to check to make sure the companies are following safe practices.
Arizona Department of Agriculture is now working with responsible agencies to monitor the outbreak in the 27 states.
