A multistate Salmonella outbreak that has sickened over 20 people prompted the Food and Drug Administration to announce a recall of cucumbers produced by Bedner Growers and sold by Fresh Start Produce Sales.
Since April 29, restaurants, wholesalers, retailers, and distribution centres have been receiving the cucumbers, according to a statement released by the FDA on Monday. The FDA is investigating the sale location of the possibly tainted veggies.
“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 Food and Drug Administration stated. “The cucumbers that distributors, eateries, and retailers bought were labelled as’supers,”selects,’ or ‘plains.’
Last month, FDA investigators inspected the cucumbers again and took a sample, which tested positive for Salmonella Montevideo and “matched recent clinical samples from ill people,” according to the FDA. Following an outbreak of Salmonella Africana connected to Bedner Growers the previous year, the inspection was a follow-up. A recall of entire cucumbers was also issued by Fresh Start Produce Sales last year due to potential Salmonella contamination.
Salmonella is a bacteria that can make people sick if they eat infected food, drink contaminated water, or come into contact with animals, their faeces, or the places they dwell in, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Between six hours and six days after infection, people who have the sickness may experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and stomach cramps. Symptoms may persist for up to seven days.
One variety of the Salmonella enterica bacterium is Salmonella Montevideo. The CDC claims that the bacteria are “a leading cause of foodborne illness, hospitalisations, and deaths in the United States and worldwide.” Each year, the bacteria infect over 1.35 million people in the US.
“Children younger than five, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe infections,” according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Florida, Alabama, California, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee are among the 15 states where the outbreak has sickened at least 26 people as of Friday, according to the FDA.
Eleven of the thirteen patients interviewed said they had eaten cucumbers, and nine of the patients have been admitted to the hospital.
In a statement, a representative for Fresh Start Produce Sales stated that the business “is committed to protecting public health and helping Bedner Growers with its recall.”
“The company is contacting its wholesale and regional distribution centre customers to ask that they provide their customers with recall instructions, including notifying any consumer point-of-purchase locations,” a spokeswoman stated.
According to the FDA, eateries, merchants, or distributors who have potentially tainted cucumbers should discard them and alert patrons.
“Consumers, restaurants, and retailers who purchased or received potentially contaminated products, including wholesale products, should carefully clean and sanitise any surfaces or containers that it touched,” it stated.
If someone is doubtful whether they bought the cucumbers, they should check with their suppliers. If they are still unsure, they should discard the cucumbers and clean the storage space.
The FDA is still looking into this.
