Federal health officials on Friday have made nearly four people sick in 18 states as a growing spread of salmonella food poisoning tied to recalled cucumbers sent to restaurants, hospitals, cruise ships and grocery stores.
At least 16 people have been hospitalized after eating cucumbers produced by Florida-based Bedner Growers and distributed through the sale of fresh start produce. The cucumbers were on sale from April 29th to May 19th.
The outbreak includes reports of illness from people on six different cruise ships departing from US ports between late March and mid-April, the CDC said. The true number of people with illness is likely much higher, and the outbreak could affect additional states, officials said.
Several companies have issued recalls of cucumbers and whole cucumbers used in various sandwiches, salsas and other foods associated with the outbreak. Target recalled dozens of products, including whole cucumbers, salads and vegetable rolls.
The outbreak was detected during a follow-up test in April due to the 2024 outbreak, causing 551 people to get sick, resulting in 155 hospitalizations in 34 states and Washington, DC, and investigators found that salmonella bacteria are linked to many of the untreated canal water-related diseases used on farms run by bed growers and Thomas produce.
As part of a new investigation, FDA officials discovered salmonella in a sample of cucumber from a Bedner grower at a distribution center in Pennsylvania. The sample coincided with the salmonella strains that made people sick. Additionally, “several other strains” of Salmonella were found that matched a sample in the government database. CDC officials are working to determine whether people’s additional illnesses match those strains.
Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhea, fever, severe vomiting, dehydration, and stomach cramps. Most people who get sick will recover within a week. Infectious diseases can be severe in infants, elderly people, and people with weakened immune systems that require hospitalization.
