Faced with a lawsuit by a major produce grower, the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday lifted import restrictions on cantaloupes from a Guatemala farm that had been linked to a multistate salmonella outbreak.
That outbreak, which led to a recall in March by the importer, Del Monte Fresh Produce, is not related to the current deadly outbreak of illness from another pathogen, listeria, which has been linked to tainted cantaloupes grown in Colorado.
An F.D.A. spokesman said in an e-mail that the agency lifted the restriction, called an import alert, because the company submitted an independent audit of the farm showing that it was following good agricultural practices. It also submitted tests showing that no cantaloupes were found containing pathogens.
Del Monte Fresh Produce said in a statement that the F.D.A. action showed that the agency and importers could work together.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: New York Times
