An Arizona produce company is recalling all sizes of its whole, fresh American cucumbers in 26 states and parts of Canada because they could be contaminated with salmonella, it said.
SunFed said in an announcement posted online Thursday by the Food and Drug Administration that cucumbers it sold from Oct. 12 to Nov. 26 were recalled because of the potential contamination, which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems.
The recalled cucumbers were packaged in bulk cardboard containers marked with the SunFed label or in generic white boxes or black plastic crates with stickers naming the grower, according to the company.
The produce was distributed in 26 states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
They were also sold in parts of Canada, including the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Calgary, Ontario and Saskatchewan.
SunFed said the affected cucumbers would have reached consumers through food service and retail outlets that may be located in states other than those listed.
"As soon as we learned of this issue, we immediately acted to protect consumers," SunFed President Craig Slate said in a statement. "We are working closely with authorities and the implicated ranch to determine the possible cause."
SunFed urged consumers to check whether their cucumbers match those that were recalled and to avoid consuming or distributing any suspicious produce. They advised customers to throw out any recalled products.
Cucumbers also were recalled earlier this year in South Florida, where at least 551 people were likely sickened by salmonella and 155 hospitalized.
Many of the recalled cucumbers were linked to Bedner Growers Inc., and Thomas Produce Co., both of Palm Beach County, Florida, according to the FDA. Thomas denied its products were directly connected.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that salmonella causes about 1.35 million infections in the United States each year.
