It pales in comparison to the overwhelming human costs of the last summers cantaloupe listeria outbreak, but of course, it’s bad for business too. Andy Nelson at The Grower wrote of the efforts of Colorado cantaloupe growers to rebound from the 2011 disaster. Nelson reported on the thoughts of Colorado Agriculture commissioner John Salazar:
Talk to John Salazar, and you won’t have to wait long to hear him praise Rocky Ford cantaloupes. In the past, Colorado’s agricultural commissioner has told me about traveling to far-flung corners of the country and world, only to be surprised by people who rave about the famous Rocky Ford melon. For Salazar and the growers he and his staff have been advocating aggressively for since September, when news of the outbreak first came out, there’s no time to waste, and no reason to hide under a rock.
In particular, growers are distancing themselves from Jensen Farms, arguing that Jensen was never truly “Rocky Ford” to begin with.
For starters, Rocky Ford growers have gone blue in the face trying to convince the industry and the public that Jensen Farms isn’t even in Rocky Ford proper. Not even close.
I hope that the Colorado growers do rebound, and sell lots and lost of pathogen free cantaloupe.