BURSTUpdate Dec. 3, 2024: Another company, Baloian Farms of Arizona Co., Inc., has issued a recall due to salmonella contamination concerns. This recall is for all sizes of their whole, fresh American cucumbers labeled with a “Pamela” brand, or a clear branded bag of six cucumbers. The company names the same grower, Agrotato, S. A. de C.V. as SunFed Produce, and also the sale dates of October 12, 2024 and November 26, 2024. Cucumbers from Baloian shipped to California, Arizona, Texas, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, Colorado, Kansas, New York, Massachusetts, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Alaska—and the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia—are impacted by this recall.
Just weeks after public health officials recalled organic carrots due to E.coli contamination, there’s another big fresh produce recall. Now, SunFed Produce, LLC is recalling all sizes of their whole, fresh cucumbers, due to salmonella contamination concerns.
Nearly 70 people have gotten sick due to this latest outbreak that spans across 19 states. Of those cases, 18 have been hospitalized, according to a report released by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The cucumbers were shipped to 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. However, SunFed noted in the recall alert that the cucumbers may have been sold in other states, too.
The cucumbers, which were grown in Sonora, Mexico, were shipped in bulk cardboard containers labeled “SunFed” or in generic white boxes with a sticker noting the name of the grower: Agrotato, S. A. de C.V.
The recalled cucumbers were sold between October 12, 2024 and November 26, 2024.
“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 a statement.
What is salmonella?
Salmonella is a bacteria that can make people sick with an illness called salmonellosis. It causes about 1.35 million infections in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Salmonella lives in the intestines of people and animals, per the CDC. People can get infected by eating contaminated food, drinking or coming into contact with contaminated water, or touching animals, animal feces, or the places where animals live and roam, the organization says.
Salmonellosis usually causes watery diarrhea that may have blood or mucus, along with severe stomach cramps. The CDC also says some people may also develop headaches, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Children younger than five, older adults (65 plus), and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe infections, according to the FDA.
How does salmonella get into fresh produce, like a cucumber?
There are a few different ways salmonella can get into fresh, uncut produce like cucumbers.
One is if the cucumbers are grown in contaminated soil, like dirt that’s fertilized with untreated or improperly treated manure, says Darin Detwiler, LP. D., a food safety expert and a professor at Northeastern University.
Another common way salmonella can get in cucumbers is through contaminated irrigation water. “Sources polluted by animal waste or untreated sewage can introduce salmonella directly to produce in the field,” Detwiler says.
But Detwiler says there are a slew of other ways salmonella can get into cucumbers including from animal poop that gets on or near the fields where produce is grown, dirty or improperly sanitized harvesting equipment, washing cucumbers in contaminated water, workers not practicing good hand hygiene, and cross-contamination when the cucumbers are being stored and transported.
What should you do if you purchased cucumbers?
The CDC recommends checking the sticker on your cucumbers. If it says “SunFed Mexico,” throw the cucumbers away or return them to where you bought them. It’s also important to clean and sanitize any surfaces that came into contact with the recalled cucumbers, according to the FDA. For now, avoiding the purchase of cucumbers for a few weeks can alleviate any extra worries you may have about contamination risks.
If you do develop signs of a salmonella infection after eating recalled cucumbers, the FDA recommends contacting a healthcare provider about next steps.