Super Starr International, a year-round grower of papayas, is proud to share its commitment to quality and food safety in light of the most recent concerns around papaya. 

For three generations, the Super Starr family has been committed to superior quality of all of their crops by growing, packing, and shipping in-house. In July, a salmonella outbreak was linked to Maradol papaya varieties, specifically to one company. Throughout this isolated recall, Super Starr papayas have continued to pass quality and safety standards and are not linked whatsoever, offering retailers options to keep both Maradol and Royal Star varieties on their shelves. 

“At Super Starr, we’re committed to owning each part of the supply chain – from farming, packing, and shipping – for the highest level of food safety and product control,” said Lance Peterson, third generation farmer of the Super Starr brand and President at Super Starr International. “Back in 2011, when the FDA was forced to stop papayas from shipping from Mexico because of salmonella, our product was the first to be approved and placed on the green-list for consumption – these same standards ring true in today’s cases.”

Super Starr customers find that a direct relationship with the grower is the best way to ensure the highest quality fruit is shipped consistently throughout the year. The company’s rich experience and established reputation growing melons, watermelons and papayas in Mexico for over 25 years gives buyers confidence that the product they receive is a product that has been grown with high integrity by people they can trust.

“Our papaya varieties have proven to be able to travel further and stay fresh longer through advanced seed breeding, which has set the standard for excellence around the world for over a decade,” continued Peterson. “We’re more excited than ever to be a resource to our customers who are looking for consistency in the market.”