The ongoing deadly Salmonella outbreak linked to imported Maradol papayas has sickened at least 141 people in 19 states. Since Salmonella is such an underreported illness, with a multiplier of 38, that means that there could be more than 5,000 people sick in this particular outbreak in the United States.
But how does Salmonella get on papayas? That is not a food typically associated with foodborne illness outbreaks.
Salmonella is ubiquitous in the environment. It is present in the soil, in the feces of animals and birds, and some people carry it. Any food can be contaminated with Salmonella, but produce is quite susceptible to it because it is a natural product. There have been quite a few outbreaks in the past few years caused by produce contaminated with Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria monocytogenes bacteria.
FoodWorld 