A total of 106 people from 25 states have been sickened in the Salmonella Agona outbreak linked to papayas since January 1, 2011.  Epidemiologic, traceback, and laboratory investigations linked the outbreak to eating fresh, whole papayas imported from Mexico by Agromod Produce, Inc. of McAllen, Texas.

On July 23, 2011, Agromod Produce voluntarily recalled fresh, whole papayas that were imported from Mexico and distributed nationwide and to Canada through retail stores and wholesalers. The recall includes all Blondie, Yaya, Mañanita, and Tastylicious Brand papayas sold prior to July 23, 2011.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its counterpart agencies in the Mexican government have been working closely together to find the source or sources of contamination of Salmonella in fresh papayas entering the United States from Mexico. From May 12, 2011, to August 18, 2011, FDA analysis found a 15.6% Salmonella contamination rate. The positive samples were from 28 different firms and include nearly all the major papaya producing regions in Mexico. Under an FDA Import Alert issued on August 25, 2011, papayas from each source in Mexico may be denied admission into the United States unless the importer shows they are not contaminated with Salmonella.