If you recently bought a juicy, sweet cantaloupe, ask your grocer where it was grown before you bite a chunk outta that melon. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an alert on March 22 regarding cantaloupe grown by Honduran company Agropecuaria Montelibano. The cantaloupes appear to be associated with an outbreak of Salmonella Litchfield in the US and Canada.

Salmonella Litchfield is a strain of Salmonella, a group of bacteria that can cause diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever, and abdominal cramps for up to a week. Since this January, there have been 50 reported cases of infection in 16 states. Fourteen people were hospitalized.

If you have recently eaten cantaloupe and experience any of the above symptoms, please contact your health care provider. For more information, visit the FDA's website at http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01808.htmlww.fda.gov/.