Cardboard BIN LABEL: 03808 LOT #: 09000101, MELON CANTALOUPE..., 80-90 CT , 07/22/13 cantaloupes themselves are not labeled.

Recall Insight

This FDA Food action (record #F-1854-2013) was formally reported on September 4, 2013, with the manufacturer initiating the action on August 5, 2013. It is classified under Critical severity (Class I), with a current status of Terminated. Heeren Bros Inc is listed as the recalling firm, operating out of Grand Rapids, MI. Federal records indicate 5,400 units are affected.

The documented reason for this recall is: Heeren Brothers Produce is recalling Athena cantaloupes distributed to small independent grocers in Michigan July 23-26, after routine testing by FDA found product contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism t… Distribution data in the federal record shows the product reached: small independent retail stores in Michigan. Distribution scope directly affects the consumer exposure window and determines whether a recall remains regional or escalates into a nationwide advisory.

To put this record in context, PlainRecalls indexes 83,949 recalls across the FDA, CPSC, NHTSA and USDA FSIS going back to 1995. Within the same product category, the database holds 6 closely related recalls, of which 6 were also issued by FDA Food. That clustering is a signal — repeated actions in a narrow category often indicate a systemic quality-control issue, a supplier-wide contamination, or a design defect that has propagated across product lines. This recall is roughly 13 years old; older recalls can remain relevant because many units enter resale, rental, and secondary-market channels where the original warning never reaches the end user. Always cross-check the recall number against the official agency page before relying on any summary.