The Colorado farm said to be the epicenter of a deadly listeria outbreak in cantaloupes has reached out to a Washington, D.C., PR firm versed in produce crisis issues.
Photo: FDA |
Watson/Mulhern, the five-year-old Wisconsin Avenue firm founded by two veterans of the Fratelli Group, is helping Jensen Farms of Granada, Colo., navigate the Sept. 14 recall of cantaloupes shipped throughout the United States since late July.
Thirteen people have died and more than 70 have fallen ill, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The Food and Drug Administration and CDC have not yet pinpointed a cause of the bacteria in the melons but traced the outbreak to Rocky Ford cantaloupe from Jensen Farms.
Amy Philpott, former VP of the United Fresh Produce Association now at Watson/Mulhern, told O’Dwyer’s she is serving as spokeswoman for Jensen Farms and the firm is handling communications and media relations strategy. One of the owners, Eric Jensen, has been speaking with reports and Jensen and brother Ryan Jensen have released media statements, Philpott noted.
She led the UFPA’s crisis communications and media relations during several produce outbreaks, including a salmonella scares in 2008 linked to chili peppers.