DOBSON — Cantaloupes are safe for Surry County residents to eat, despite a recent recall of more than 188,000 melons.

Officials with local Food Lion stores said Wednesday that while some of the stores did receive tainted cantalopes, they were never put on the floor for sale.

A recall of Caribbean Gold cantaloupes was initiated on July 28, and Aug. 2, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The recall was a voluntary recall of cantaloupes marketed by Burch Equipment LLC, and began with the recall of 580 cases of melons on July 28, and 581 bins of cantaloupes on Aug. 2, due to their potential for having been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, according to the FDA.

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in certain members of the population like the very young and very old.

The recall comes on the heels of a random sampling taken from a Caribbean Gold cantaloupe, which tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

The affected cantaloupes were shipped between July 15 and July 27, and distributed throughout the east coast, including North Carolina.

The whole melons are identifiable by a red label reading Burch Farms, referencing PLU #4319.

No illnesses have been reported to date, according to the FDA.