Salmonella Outbreak in Recalled Cucumbers Leads to 449 Cases of Illness — Details Here

UPDATE, Aug. 16, 2024, 4:30 p.m. ET: as per an update notice on Aug. 14, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are collecting information regarding two different strains of salmonella impacting the public. Data suggests that the salmonella strains are linked to contaminated cucumbers. As of July 2024, 449 people have been infected by one of the two strains.

The FDA issued a recall on cucumbers beginning in May 2024 after a sample from Fresh Start Produce Sales tested positive for a salmonella outbreak.

Here's everything you need to know about the recall, including what you should do if you suspect you have some of the impacted cucumbers.

In May 2024, shoppers in West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Maryland, Illinois, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama needed to double-check their produce after the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture said a sample of cucumbers from Fresh Start Produce Sales Inc. tested positive for salmonella.

Then, in June 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated its cucumber recall to a Class I risk, per Newsweek, indicating "reasonable probability" that exposure to contaminated cucumbers could "cause serious adverse health consequences or death."

Shoppers across 31 states, not just the previous 14, needed to be on the lookout, per the updated recall filing.

According to CBS News in August 2024, consumers across 31 states and the District of Columbia need to remain vigilant, as the number of sick people might actually be higher than recorded. This is because many recover without seeking care, per a notice from the CDC.

I was in the middle of eating a bowl of pasta salad when my husband walked into the room playing the automated message from our grocery store on the phone, letting us know that the cucumbers we had purchased for our BBQ were being recalled due to possible salmonella contamination. The cucumbers were of course one of the main ingredients in the salad, which I immediately stopped eating and threw away.

As an otherwise healthy 42-year-old I wasn't too panicked about the possible contamination because I'd been there before — both my husband and I got very sick during an October 2021 salmonella outbreak involving onions — and I had hoped that the fact that I'd eaten less than half of one whole cucumber would work in my favor.

It wasn't long before I started experiencing symptoms, which lasted for about a week. While my experience was blessedly mild, others are not so lucky. Salmonella can be especially dangerous for the very young, those with complex immune systems, and the elderly. The FDA says symptoms include:

• Abdominal pain
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Diarrhea

In very serious cases, the bacteria can enter the bloodstream and cause extreme illnesses like endocarditis, arthritis, and arterial infections.

If you believe you have purchased the recalled cucumbers, you can throw them away or return to the place where they were purchased to ask for a refund. Anyone who has additional questions can reach out to the company directly by calling 1-888-364-2993 during their regular business hours.

The FDA states on its website that it will continue to monitor the recall and update consumers if anything changes.

This article, originally published on June 4, 2024, has been updated to reflect new information from the FDA.