3rd class-action lawsuit over cantaloupe salmonella outbreak filed in Canada

Cantaloupe halves are displayed for sale at a supermarket in New York on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Mary Conlon

VANCOUVER -

A third proposed class-action lawsuit has been filed over salmonella-tainted cantaloupes that have sickened people across Canada.

Law firm Slater Vecchio says it has filed the lawsuit in British Columbia against Mexican company Malichita, which grew the cantaloupes, and two U.S. food companies.

The law firm filed a similar suit last month in Quebec on behalf of a Montreal man who was hospitalized with salmonella, and says the latest proposed class action is on behalf of all people outside of that province who were affected by the outbreak.

Ontario-based law firm Siskinds has also filed a proposed class action lawsuit in Manitoba, alleging that a Sarnia, Ont., woman became sick after eating cantaloupe that she believes was tainted with salmonella.

The claims have not been tested in court and the proposed class actions must be certified by the courts to move ahead.

The Public Health Agency of Canada said in its latest update last month that seven people have died from cantaloupe-linked salmonella and there have been 164 lab-confirmed cases in eight provinces - 111 of them in Quebec.

The agency said the majority of people who became sick were aged five and younger and 65 and older.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency first issued recall warnings on Nov. 1, which were later expanded to include both Malichita and Rudy brand cantaloupes, as well as various types of pre-cut cantaloupes and fruit trays sold in stores.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 8, 2024.