Consumers should avoid Malchita brand cantaloupes because of a possible salmonella threat, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has advised.

The cantaloupes were imported from Mexico on Nov. 27 and were sold mostly from Loblaws supermarkets and its affiliates in Eastern Ontario and the Atlantic provinces from Nov. 27 through Dec. 9.

Some of the cantaloupes may also have been sold at independent grocers in Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces during the same time period.

Consumers who purchased whole cantaloupes or in-store products with pieces of cantaloupe should contact the retailer to see whether their purchases are included in the recall.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these cantaloupes.

Foods tainted with salmonella may not look or smell spoiled, but the bacteria can cause symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

People with weak immune systems are particularly vulnerable to salmonella poisoning.

For more information, consumers and industry can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342/TTY 1-800-465-7735.

Recall notice