PUEBLO, Colo., Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Colorado cantaloupe growers say they want the state to take more action on the listeria scare they say has harmed their business.
Cantaloupe producers in the state's Otero County say their fruit has been world famous for more than 120 years.
"And in all those years, we have never had a problem with our cantaloupe. But now we have been harmed by the listeria outbreak in cantaloupe far from here," grower Chuck Hanagan told the Pueblo (Colo.) Chieftain Monday.
The listeria outbreak linked to cantaloupe grown and processed by Jensen Farms in Southeastern Colorado has affected local producers across Otero County, he said.
"That situation, in lumping all growers in the area with the listeria outbreak, has left a bitter taste in the mouths of all the growers here," he said.
Hanagan said he wants the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the state to publicly announce the problem was isolated and not in the Rocky Ford area.
"We have a history, we could throw our world-famous name in the dumpster and rename or we could vindicate our product," Hanagan said. "We want vindication."
