Texan distributor Agromod Produce Inc has voluntarily recalled its Mexican-grown papayas until Jul. 23 due to fears they could be responsible for a salmonella outbreak in the U.S.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it is investigating 97 reported cases of the disease, including 10 hospitalizations, relating to papaya consumption across 23 states.

"Recent sampling by the FDA found the outbreak strain in two papaya samples: one collected at the Agromod Produce, Inc. location in McAllen, Texas, and one collected at the U.S. border destined for Agromod Produce, Inc," the FDA said in a press release.

"Agromod Produce, Inc. distributes the four brands of papayas whole and unprocessed: Yaya, Blondie, Mañanita and Tastylicious. Receiving retailers or others may have further processed the papaya. It is recommended that consumers check with the retailer to see if any papaya available for purchase was distributed by Agromod Produce, Inc.

"The FDA is also working with state authorities to take appropriate action to make sure all recalled papaya is out of commerce. FDA is also working with Agromod Produce Inc. and with officials in Mexico to determine how the papayas may have become contaminated."

More than a quarter of the cases were in Texas itself, while there were also significant numbers of cases in other states including Illinois (17), Georgia (8), New York (6) and Washintgon (5).

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