The number of people hospitalized with illness from the outbreak of salmonella linked to contaminated cucumbers continues to increase. Currently, cases have been reported in 18 states.
Tips for managing food recalls and preventing foodborne illnesses
Approximately 128,000 people are hospitalized and 3,000 die from preventable foodborne diseases each year.
Payton, USA Today
Salmonella diseases associated with cucumber continue to rise, with more states reporting additional cases and hospitalizations. Another major retailer, Target, is issuing its own recall.
The first recall of cucumbers, grown by Florida-based Bedner Growers and distributed through a fresh start produce sale, linked the produce to the outbreak of salmonella in 15 states. The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 26 people became ill and nine were hospitalized on May 19.
Health officials are now increasing to 18 states reported in 18 states, including Georgia, Indiana and Massachusetts (the latest states where Georgia, Indiana and Massachusetts are the most recent), according to the FDA and CDC.
According to the CDC, eight people told the eight people they boarded the cruise before they got sick. The passengers were on six different ships, all of which departed from Florida from March 30th to April 12th. The three were on the same boat, the agency said.
No deaths have been reported in the Salmonella outbreak, the CDC says.
The first voluntary recall involved cucumbers sold directly to consumers at Bednar’s Farm Fresh Market. Additional recalls were later announced by grocery stores such as Harris Teeter, Kroger and Walmart, selling the entire cucumber or using it on ready-to-eat products such as vegetable trays and salads.
Target issued a recall of products purchased from May 7 to May 21, the FDA said in its May 30 update. These products included prepared foods such as individual cucumbers, two packs of cucumbers, Good and Lemon Pepper Greek-style chicken salad, My Spicy Salmon Rice Bowl with White Rice, and My California Roll along with White Rice. A complete list of over 40 recalled products is available on the Target’s Product Recall page.
Target was also among retailers who recalled Homer Foods’ Dantimoore Beef Stew, as the product could contain “foreign material,” especially wood fragments.
What if you think you might have remembered cucumbers
The recalled cucumber should no longer be on store shelves, health officials said. The CDC and FDA advise anyone with cucumbers to throw away anyone at home if they don’t know where they come from. Wash any surfaces or items that may have been exposed to the cucumber.
According to the CDC, Bedner growers were also linked to the outbreak of salmonella, involving cucumbers that had 155 hospitalized in 34 states and the District of Columbia.
Investigators discovered untreated canal water carrying bacteria used by Bedner growers, the CDC said. Bedner Growers and Thomas Produce Company of Boca Raton, Florida, said there is a high probability of an outbreak, but the company did not explain all outbreak diseases.
Symptoms of Salmonella
Salmonella causes approximately 1.35 million illnesses, 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths each year, according to the CDC and FDA.
Symptoms of Salmonella infection, including diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps, usually occur 6 hours to 6 days after exposure and can last for 4 to 7 days. Severe infections include pain, headache, increased fever, lethargy, rash, and blood in the urine or stool.
Which states are affected by the salmonella outbreak?
As of May 30, cucumber-related salmonella outbreaks have been disgusted by 45 people in the next 18 states.
- Alabama
- California
- Colorado
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- North Carolina
- new york
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Virginia
Contributed by Gabe Hauari and Mary Walrath-Holdridge.
Mike Snyder is a reporter for the trending team at USA Today. You can follow him in the thread, send BlueSky, X with X and send him an email Bliss & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider &msnider@usatoday.com
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