The Food and Drug Administration announced a recall of cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales because of a multistate Salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than 20 people.
The FDA said in a statement Monday that the cucumbers have been distributed to restaurants, wholesalers, retailers and distribution centers since April 29. The FDA is working to determine where the potentially contaminated vegetables were sold.
"Cucumbers may have been sold individually or in smaller packages, with or without a label that may not bear the same brand, product name, or best by date," the FDA warned. "For distributors, restaurants, and retailers who have purchased these cucumbers, the products were labeled as either being 'supers,' 'selects,' or 'plains.'"
FDA investigators conducting a follow-up inspection of the cucumbers last month collected a sample that came back positive for Salmonella Montevideo and "matched recent clinical samples from ill people," the FDA said. The inspection was a follow-up to a Salmonella Africana outbreak linked to Bedner Growers last year. Fresh Start Produce Sales also issued a recall of whole cucumbers last year because of possible Salmonella contamination.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Salmonella is a bacterium that can sicken those who consume it by eating contaminated food, drinking contaminated water or touching animals, their fecal matter or the areas they live in. People who contract the illness can have stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting anywhere from six hours to six days after infection, and symptoms can last up to seven days.
Salmonella Montevideo is a type of Salmonella enterica bacterium. According to the CDC, the bacteria are "a leading cause of foodborne illness, hospitalizations, and deaths in the United States and worldwide." The bacteria cause about 1.35 million infections in the United States every year.
"Children younger than five, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe infections," the FDA said.
According to the FDA, as of Friday, at least 26 people had been sickened by the outbreak in 15 states: Florida, Alabama, California, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.
Nine of the patients have been hospitalized, and 11 out of 13 patients who were interviewed reported having eaten cucumbers.
A spokesperson for Fresh Start Produce Sales said in a statement that the company "is committed to protecting public health and helping Bedner Growers with its recall."
"The company is contacting its wholesale and regional distribution center customers to ask that they provide their customers with recall instructions, including notifying any consumer point-of-purchase locations," the spokesperson said.
The FDA said any restaurants, retailers or distributors that have potentially contaminated cucumbers should throw them away and notify customers.
"Consumers, restaurants, and retailers who purchased or received potentially contaminated products, including wholesale products, should carefully clean and sanitize any surfaces or containers that it touched," it recommended.
Those who do not know whether they purchased the cucumbers should contact their suppliers to make sure, but if they are still unsure, they should throw away their cucumbers and sanitize the areas where they were stored.
The FDA's investigation continues.
