Freshly harvested cucumbers are pictured at a farm. (Photo by PATRICK PLEUL/DPA/AFP via Getty Images)
OAN Staff James Meyers 1:31 PM – Monday, December 2, 2024
Almost 70 people have fallen ill and 18 have been hospitalized as a result of a salmonella outbreak linked to whole fresh cucumbers sold in 26 U.S. states and some parts of Canada.
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The states where the affected cucumbers were distributed goes as follows: 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, Sunfed announced.
“Epidemiologic and traceback information shows that cucumbers grown by Agrotato, S.A. de C.V. in Sonora, Mexico, including recalled cucumbers from SunFed Produce LLC, may be contaminated with salmonella and may be making people sick,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement posted Friday.
In a company recall notice posted on the U.S. Food and Drug administration website on Thursday, Sunfed Produce LLC announced that the affected cucumbers were sold between October 12th and November 26th.
The cucumbers that affected 68 people were reportedly inside bulk cardboard boxes “marked with the SunFed label” or in generic white boxes or black plastic crates with stickers naming the grower.
“As soon as we learned of this issue, we immediately acted to protect consumers. We are working closely with authorities and the implicated ranch to determine the possible cause,” Sunfed President Craig Slate said in the recall announcement. “We require all of our growers to strictly comply with the FDA food safety requirements.”
Additionally, the affected cucumbers were sold in parts of Canada, including the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Calgary, Ontario, and Saskatchewan.
The company advised that consumers should check whether their purchased cucumbers match those that were recalled and to avoid consuming or distributing any suspicious produce.
Earlier this year, over 500 people became ill due to salmonella and 155 were hospitalized in south Florida after eating the contaminated produce.
Meanwhile, salmonella has caused an estimated 1.35 million infections in the U.S. every year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Healthy people who are infected with salmonella often experience severe fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. The bacteria can also cause more serious and sometimes fatal infections in elderly people, young children, and those with weakened immune systems.
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