Watch Out! Rockmelons Are Killing People

Rockmelons, quite possibly my least favourite fruit ever, is being suspected of mass murder. I’m not kidding, 13 people have died after eating the contaminated fruit with 72 more people becoming ill because of it. Just what the hell is going on with rockmelons?

The icky, light orange fruit is assumed to be tainted with listeria, a bacteria that’s deadlier than salmonella and E. coli. In fact, this cantaloupe listeria killer would be the deadliest outbreak in a decade. You should be OK though, listeria generally only affects the elderly, pregnant women or those with weak immune systems. But you can never be too safe, as listeria’s symptoms — fever, muscle achle, gastrointestinal problems, unable to speak, incapacitated, etc. — might not show until four weeks later. It kills one in five.

The bad cantaloupes have been traced back to Jensen Farms in Holly, Colorado, and according to the AP, may be labelled ‘Colorado Grown’, ‘Distributed by Frontera Produce’, ‘Jensenfarms.com’ or ‘Sweet Rocky Fords’. But if I were you, I’d just stay away completely. I mean, it’s not like rockmelons are that good anyway. They’re definitely not worth dying for. [AP via Business Insiders]

Image: Shutterstock/Layland Masuda