Cucumbers recalled as feds probe widespread salmonella outbreak

Cucumbers contaminated with salmonella are being linked to an outbreak that has sickened 162 people in 25 states and the District of Columbia, hospitalizing 54, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. 

The federal agency's post came days after a Florida company recalled cucumbers shipped to 14 states, citing the risk of salmonella.  

Fresh Start Produce Sales Inc. of Delray, Florida, on Saturday recalled whole cucumbers shipped from May 17 through May 21, 2024, to retail and food service distribution centers in the following states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

The recall came after the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture told the company a product sample tested positive for salmonella, Fresh Start Produce stated in a notice posted Saturday by the Food and Drug Administration. The organism can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in the young, frail or elderly.

Healthy people infected with salmonella can experience symptoms including fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, the bacteria can get into the bloodstream and cause more severe infections. 

Salmonella bacteria cause about 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths in the United States every year, with food being the source for most of the illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Most people recover without specific treatment and should not take antibiotics, the CDC noted.

The FDA is conducting whole genome sequencing to determine if the sample is related to an ongoing salmonella outbreak investigation, according to the recall notice. The sole salmonella outbreak on the agency's active investigation list involves one with 162 people sickened and a food link not yet identified, as first noted by food safety attorney Bill Marler.

The recalled vegetables were shipped in bulk cartons and are dark green, approximately 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter and five to nine inches long, Fresh Start Produce said. Mini and English cucumbers are not included in the recall.

People who purchased the recalled cucumbers should not eat them but are advised to discard or return for a refund. 

Those with additional questions cal call the company at 1-888-364-2993 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern.