United States: An outbreak of salmonella which is linked to cucumbers and has sickened almost 100 people in 23 U.S. states, the FDA reported on Thursday. This is up from 68 cases reported in early December. Many people are very sick, and 25 have been hospitalized, though no deaths have been reported. The CDC started investigating the outbreak in late November.
Data from the epidemiological investigations and traceback indicate that cucumbers produced by Agrotato, S.A. de C.V producing Sonora, Mexico, including cucumbers distributed by SunFed Produce LLC that have been recalled maybe contaminated with salmonella and could be making people sick, the CDC said in a statement on November 29.
Last Thursday, a company recalled notice that was posted on the website of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stated that Sunfed Produce LLC said that the cucumbers were sold in the bulk cardboard boxes labeled with SunFed or packed in the other white boxes or even the black plastic crates with the stickers containing the name of the grower between October 12 and Nov. 26 of this year.
As reported by the HealthDay, “As soon as this matter came to light it was resolved the appropriate measures were taken in order to safeguard customers. Authorities and the implicated ranch in the meat products are still in consultations to identify potential leads to the problem, said Sunfed President, Craig Slate in the recall notice. “Our company expects all growers to adhere to the FDA food safety standards to the letter.”
The affected cucumbers were distributed in: Listed among those are Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and some like Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, Sunfed of Arizona has said.
They were also available in some of the other Canadians provinces such as Alberta, British Columbia, Calgary, Ontario and Saskatchewan.
Consumers should verify if they possess the appropriate cucumbers which were involved and refrain from eating or sharing any questionable food crops, added the company.
This is not the first-time cucumbers have been recalled for potential salmonella contamination: In south Florida at least 551 people were probably infected with salmonella and 155 of those were hospitalised for this reason after consuming contaminated vegetables this year.
Salmonella admits to approximately 1 35 million instances in the United States annually or yearly according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control.