ACT authorities have warned vulnerable people to stop eating rockmelons after a deadly listeria outbreak, amid fears of how the industry will recover.
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The NSW Food Authority revealed 10 elderly people across Australia were diagnosed with listeria - with two people dying - after eating the fruit between January 17 and February 9.
Six cases were in NSW while the other cases were in Queensland and Victoria. There have been no reported cases in the ACT.
The affected rockmelon has been linked to a farm in Griffith which has voluntarily stopped production.
The product has been removed from shelves across the country but ACT's chief health officer advises the elderly, pregnant or those vulnerable to listeria to not eat it at all.
Some authorities have gone further with South Australians advised not to eat rockmelons "until further notice".
"ACT Health is advising people who are at high risk of listeria infection to avoid eating rockmelon, following a sudden increase in cases of listeriosis in other jurisdictions," an ACT Health spokeswoman said.
"State and territories across Australia are working together to investigate the outbreak, which has been linked to a rockmelon grower in NSW. All affected product is being removed from the supply chain and the company has voluntarily ceased production."
Coles has stripped all rockmelons from the shelves in all states except WA while Woolworths has pulled all rockmelons sourced in NSW.
ACT Health was this afternoon working on confirming if ACT shops were stocking the product
Ziggy's Market Fresh owner Ken Irvine said his store was still selling rockmelons, sourced from an unaffected grower in Mildura in north-western Victoria.
He said instead of not eating rockmelons, people should ask where the melons were sourced.
"It would be like me saying there was a salmonella outbreak at a Chinese restaurant at Civic, so don't go to any Chinese restaurant and stop eating Chinese food now," Mr Irvine said.
"Why is one farm impacting on an industry?
"There are probably 1000 farms in Australia growing rockmelons."
He said while the impact won't be huge on his business, he expected rockmelon sales to drop by about 75 per cent.
"Ultimately it hurts the growers," Mr Irvine said.
"People just won't buy them for the next few weeks."
Listeriosis is a serious illness caused by bacteria called Listeria and infection usually occurs from eating contaminated foods.
The bacteria can be present in raw foods or foods may become contaminated after processing or cooking.
These people should avoid eating rockmelon and also discard any rockmelon they may already have in their home.
People at risk should consult their local doctor as early as possible should symptoms appear.
Symptoms include: fever; headache; tiredness; muscle aches; and sometimes gastrointestinal symptoms.
