An elderly NSW woman has become the sixth Australian to die in the current rockmelon-related listeria outbreak.
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The woman in her 90s had significant underlying health conditions, NSW Health said in a statement on Tuesday, joining 19 people have been infected including the five who previously passed away.
The federal opposition has claimed Australians and the country's trading partners have not been properly reassured that a recent rockmelon-related listeria outbreak is under control and won't be repeated.
Owner of Rossie’s Foodworks in Griffith Ross Catanzariti says while residents have been hesitant to purchase the defamed fruit, people need to keep faith in the food bowl’s quality produce.
Opposition agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon says the federal government has responded poorly to the outbreak, following the sixth Australian death linked to the infection.
The opposition’s claim comes after the NSW government and health authorities were accused of taking too long to warn the public, after investigations began in January into the outbreak.
Demand for rockmelons has dropped by 90 per cent since the outbreak was revealed in February, Mr Fitzgibbon said, while exports to Indonesia and Singapore have closed.
"News that a sixth death has occurred due to the listeria outbreak in rockmelons is devastating news for the families involved and will further impact the Australian rockmelon industry," Mr Fitzgibbon said in a statement on Wednesday.
"The Turnbull Government's lack of a response to the listeria outbreak and the crisis in the industry is deafening."
Mr Catanzariti says while he has seen some resistance from people buying melons, overall there is still a lot of faith in the region’s produce, and encourages everyone in the Griffith community to keep supporting the region’s growers through this difficult stage.
“Keep supporting your local growers. This is what the region is built on, despite the fact we are under the microscope, the product we produce here is still of high quality.”
All affected melons, from the NSW Riverina, have been withdrawn from sale, and since rockmelon grower Rombola’s has been identified as the source of suspect fruit, NSW Food Health and Safety have reassured all rockmelons currently for sale are safe to eat.