The Food and Drug Administration was alerted last week after 50 people in the U.S. and 9 in Canada became ill after eating cantaloupes from a Honduras manufacturer.

It seems the melons from Agropecuaria Montelibano are contaminated with salmonella. The U.S. government, together with the F.D.A., advises people not to buy cantaloupes from this company and the grocers are recommended to remove such merchandise from their stores. Furthermore, the U.S. government wants to restrain all Honduran cantaloupes delivered so far.

The investigation is not yet over, as the F.D.A. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention want to gather as much information as possible. Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports the opposite reaction from the alleged source of contamination. The president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, condemns the U.S. government’s decision, stating there is no proof that the salmonella outburst originates in Central America.

As authorities are still investigating and the epidemic is more and more dangerous the F.D.A. makes the following recommendations in order to reduce the risk of salmonella infection through consumption of cantaloupes: cutting away bruised or damaged parts of cantaloupes, washing hands with soap after handling the fruit and refrigerating any fresh cantaloupes.

Meanwhile states like Arizona, California, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee or Washington are struggling to handle the salmonella outbreak. Although 14 people have been hospitalized, no deaths have been reported.