Cucumbers are being recalled again in 26 states and five Canadian provinces for possible salmonella contamination, and yes, some of these cucumber were sold in Massachusetts.
On Wednesday the U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced that cucumbers from Arizona-based SunFed Produce, LLC were being voluntarily recalled. The cucumbers were shipped packaged in bulk cardboard container with a “SunFed” label, or in a generic white box or plastic black crate, and sold between Oct. 12 to Nov. 26, 2024.
“Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems,” the FDA said. “Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.”
Symptoms of salmonellosis usually show up from 6 hours to 6 days after infection and last 4 to 7 days, the FDA said.
The company issued the recall after the FDA notified them that the cucumbers were associated with reported salmonellosis illnesses between Oct. 12 and Nov. 15. The FDA has not released how many people were affected, and no deaths have been reported.
What do I do if I bought SunFed cucumbers?
The FDA advises consumers to check to see if you have any of the recalled whole fresh American cucumbers. If so, throw them out and do not consume, sell or serve them, and then clean and sanitize any surfaces that they may have come in contact with to reduce cross-contamination.
If you’re not certain if any cucumbers you bought are included in this recall, contact your retailer. If you think you’ve consumed any of it and don’t feel well, contact your healthcare provider. You also can call the SunFed’s recall hotline (888) 542-5849, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. EST.
Where were the recalled cucumbers sold?
According to the FDA, the whole fresh cucumbers were shipped to customers in 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 & Wisconsin and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Calgary, Saskatchewan, & Ontario.
But food service and retail outlets outside those areas may also have sold them, the FDA said.
What happened in the last cucumber recall?
Over the summer, salmonella-contaminated cucumbers partially tracked to two Florida farms were blamed for 551 people in 34 states getting sick.
What is salmonella?
“Salmonella are bacteria that make people sick,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its fact page.
Salmonella can make people ill with diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps which can last from four days up to a week. Symptoms usually begin six hours to six days after infection, the CDC said. Most cases of Salmonella infections pass, but some people may need to be hospitalized.
Salmonella bacteria cause “about 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the United States every year,” the CDC said. “Food is the source for most of these illnesses.”
