Publisher's Platform: Listeria Cantaloupe No. 2

By Bill Marler on October 9, 2011

With 109 sickened and 21 deaths, the Jensen Farms Frontera Listeria Outbreakis now tied as the second-most deadly foodborne illness outbreak in the United States. The numbers of ill and dead are expected to increase in this recent listeria outbreak, which has impacted 24 states.

Here is a list of not the largest, but the deadliest outbreaks in the U.S.:

Jalisco’s Listeria Outbreak

January 1985

Vehicle: cheese

Number ill: 142

Deaths: 29

Bil Mar Foods Ready-to-eat Meats Listeria Outbreak

January 1998

Vehicle: deli and cured meats

Number ill: 101

Deaths: 21

Jensen Farms Frontera Listeria Outbreak