News Release

As summer begins, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) told consumers in six states to stop eating papayas after a fast-moving outbreak was tied to papaya fruit in Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Jersey. The CDC and the Food and Drug administration have identified 62 illnesses related to the outbreak

Adam Garber, U.S. PIRG Consumer Watchdog, issued the following statement:

“No fruit is so delicious that it’s worth ending up in the hospital. The high hospitalization rate reminds us again that a simple snack can result in a life-threatening illness.  

“We applaud the CDC for taking proactive steps to warn Americans about potentially-contaminated papaya. Until we find out the source of the contamination, we urge grocery stores to pull papayas off the shelves and restaurants to stop serving food with them in it. That will help ensure people who don’t hear this warning stay safe.”