Just over a week ago most of us didn't have a clue what listeria was. That changed quickly. The current contamination of cantaloupe with the bacteria is the worst food outbreak in more than ten years. As many as 16 people have died and 18 states are reporting illness from the fruit. The infected melons came from one provider, Jensen Farms in Colorado and are commonly known as "Rocky Fords"

As we openly mocked a co-worker here at KRMG for eating cantaloupe this week we began talking about how someone would know if they were eating fruit from Jensen Farms. So, I called Petty's Fine Foods in Utica Square and they told me I could come by to find out more. I met Mike Griffeth in their produce section and standing right there by the cantaloupe, he explained. "Sometimes they're stickered with the origin, most of the time with the brand" he said. But the easiest way to know "your produce professional should be able to tell you where it came from" he finished.

Hear the entire interview with Mike here.

Mike also told me that they have a few ways to find out about things like recalls. "Most of the produce comes through local distributors and they usually get a heads up before it hits the press."

We also asked Tulsa shoppers if they knew how to find out where the cantaloupe they were buying came from? Hear the answers they gave us here.

Mike says Petty's doesn't have anything on the shelf from Jensen farms and they are currently listeria free there in Utica Square. Still, he has some advice for all of us. "You should always wash your fruit, no matter what it is" he said. The best way to do that? "Good old soap and water" he answered.

We also called Reasor's grocery stores to ask how they check for these kinds of things. I received the following email from Reasor's explaining.

Rick,

 We take food safety very seriously at Reasor’s and I wanted to send this to you concerning the recent cantaloupe issue. 

Reasor's has not purchased any Rocky Ford Cantaloupes from Colorado since August 19th.   All shipments of Cantaloupe since August 19th have been Cantaloupes grown in California and are not part of the Rocky Ford Cantaloupes recalled out of Colorado.

 Of the Rocky Ford Cantaloupes that Reasor’s purchased, none of these came from the supplier Jensen Farms which is the only supplier linked to the Listeria issue.

Check below for the entire interview with Mike as well as other links of interest.