A salmonella outbreak sickens dozens, prompting a cucumber recall. Here's what to do

The FDA is informing group not to sell, service aliases eat cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales betwixt April 29 and May 19. Richard Hamilton Smith/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images hide caption

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Richard Hamilton Smith/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is recalling cucumbers crossed nan state complete a salmonella outbreak that has sickened much than 2 twelve group successful aggregate states.

On Monday, nan FDA announced a recall for cucumbers grown by South Florida-based Bedner Growers betwixt April 29 and May 19.

The FDA says Fresh Start Produce Sales distributed them to retailers, distribution centers, wholesalers and nutrient work distributors nationwide, making group sick from California to Kansas to New York — and it is unclear precisely wherever other they whitethorn person ended up.

"Cucumbers whitethorn person been sold individually aliases successful smaller packages, pinch aliases without a explanation that whitethorn not carnivore nan aforesaid brand, merchandise name, aliases champion by date," nan agency said.

The cucumbers successful mobility person been linked to what nan FDA calls a "multistate outbreak" of Salmonella Montevideo, a bacterial disease that affects nan intestinal tract.

As of Tuesday, nan cucumbers person made 26 group sick, 9 of whom required hospitalization, according to nan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The cases are dispersed retired crossed 15 states: Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

The agency says investigators conducting a follow-up inspection successful April collected an biology sample from Bedner Growers that was affirmative for nan illness and matched caller objective samples from group who sewage sick.

"FDA's traceback investigation has identified Bedner Growers, Inc. arsenic nan communal grower of cucumbers successful this existent outbreak," it said.

Acknowledging that salmonella is simply a "serious wellness concern," Bedner Growers said successful a connection that it is initiating nan callback "in an abundance of caution, and retired of heavy respect for nan nationalist health."

Symptoms of salmonella infection see diarrhea, fever, tummy cramps and vomiting. They usually commencement 12 to 72 hours aft eating contaminated nutrient and tin past 4 to 7 days.

While galore group typically retrieve connected their ain wrong a fewer days, diarrhea tin lead to terrible dehydration that requires aesculapian attention.

The FDA says anyone who has symptoms of a salmonella infection, particularly aft eating cucumbers, should study them — and activity attraction — from their aesculapian provider.

What should shoppers do? 

The FDA and CDC are moving pinch authorities and section authorities to analyse nan outbreak. They pass that group pinch cucumbers already successful their fridge should err connected nan broadside of caution.

"If you cannot show if your cucumber was grown by Bedner Growers, propulsion it away," nan FDA says. "When eating retired complete nan adjacent week, inquire if cucumbers were from Bedner Growers aliases Fresh Start Produce Sales, Inc."

Consumers, restaurants and retailers who person already handled perchance contaminated cucumbers should carefully sanitize immoderate surfaces aliases containers that they whitethorn person touched.

The FDA instructs restaurants, retailers and distributors that whitethorn person purchased nan cucumbers betwixt April 29 and May 19 to notify their customers astir nan imaginable wellness concerns and sanitize immoderate areas — including bulk bins — that nan vegetables touched.

In general, nan CDC recommends pursuing respective food information tips to effort to forestall nutrient poisoning.

It advises group to lavation their hands, utensils and surfaces often; rinse fruits and vegetables nether moving h2o earlier eating aliases peeling them; support nutrient that won't beryllium cooked abstracted from earthy nutrient and poultry; and refrigerate perishable nutrient wrong 2 hours — aliases 1 hr if nan somesthesia is supra 90 degrees Fahrenheit. It says nutrient should beryllium thawed successful refrigerators, not connected countertops.

Food scientists told NPR that erstwhile washing produce, it is not basal — and could moreover beryllium counterproductive — to usage soap aliases fto it soak successful a vessel of water. Peeling nutrient mightiness trim nan consequence of consuming bacteria, but is not a guarantee.

Where mightiness nan cucumbers be? 

According to nan FDA's outbreak map, nan states pinch nan astir unwellness reports are Illinois, Ohio, North Carolina and Florida, location of Bedner Growers.

The FDA says immoderate of nan affected cucumbers were antecedently disposable for waste astatine Bedner's Farm Fresh Market's 3 Florida locations; Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and West Palm Beach.

A spokesperson for Bedner Growers told NPR connected Wednesday that nan farmers markets person "already recalled and eliminated each perchance contaminated cucumbers."

"The existent products you'll find coming astatine nan markets are wholly unaffected by this recall," nan institution added.

The FDA says it is alert that nan contaminated cucumbers are disposable "at some edifice and unit locations," and is still moving to trace them.

Fresh Start Produce Sales told NPR successful an email that it "has notified each its affected wholesale and location distribution halfway customers and asked them to supply their customers pinch callback instructions, including instantly notifying immoderate user point-of-purchase locations specified arsenic unit stores and restaurants."

The FDA says nan products purchased by distributors, restaurants, and retailers were branded either arsenic supers, selects aliases plains.

How different is this outbreak?

The CDC estimates that salmonella causes astir 1.35 cardinal infections successful nan U.S. each year, mostly done contaminated food.

Salmonella infection is 1 of nan starring causes of foodborne illness, and of hospitalizations and deaths linked to foodborne illness. The CDC says it is much communal successful nan summer, pinch warmer temperatures and unrefrigerated food.

Raw meat, seafood and poultry — peculiarly chickenhearted — are a communal culprit, arsenic are earthy aliases undercooked eggs. But caller nutrient tin besides origin infections, for example, if they are washed during processing pinch h2o contaminated pinch salmonella.

Cucumbers specifically person been nan taxable of respective awesome salmonella recalls successful caller years. A June 2024 outbreak sickened 551 people crossed 34 states and Washington, D.C., and nan CDC recalled Mexican cucumbers successful November aft 68 group sewage sick.

In fact, nan FDA yet wished that Bedner Growers was 1 of respective apt sources of that summertime outbreak — which is why it was collecting follow-up samples from nan institution past month.