Salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers, more than 20 sickened in 15 states
Salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers, more than 20 sickened in 15 states
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About 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 people die each year from preventable foodborne illnesses.
Payton, USA TODAY
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and health officials in multiple states are investigating a new salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers sold across the nation, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced this week.
Cucumbers grown by a Florida-based farm distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales, Inc. are being linked to a salmonella outbreak, the FDA posted in a May 19 statement online.
The vegetables, grown by Bedner Growers Inc., were distributed to retailers, distribution centers, wholesalers, and food service distributors this spring. The federal agency did not list where the cucumbers were sold.
So far, no deaths have been reported. But 26 people in 15 states have been sickened by salmonella, with nine patients needing to be hospitalized, according to the FDA statement.
USA TODAY has reached out to Bedner.
Inspection links cucumbers to salmonella
In April, as part of a follow-up inspection in April 2025, FDA investigators collected an environmental sample from Bedner Growers Inc. that tested positive for salmonella and matched recent clinical samples from ill people.
The recent follow-up inspection stemmed from a 2024 Salmonella Africana and Salmonella Braenderup outbreaks linked to cucumbers grown at the same Florida-based farm. Recalled cucumbers from that outbreak sickened about 551 people in 34 states, the FDA previously reported. Of the patients, 125 people were hospitalized, the CDC reported, and the outbreak ended in late August 2024. No deaths were reported.
Last month's FDA's traceback investigation identified Bedner "as the common grower of cucumbers in the most recent outbreak," the FDA wrote in its announcement.
"Do not sell or serve whole cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers Inc. and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Inc. between April 29, 2025 to May 19, 2025," the FDA wrote.
What cucumbers are being linked to the salmonella outbreak?
The whole cucumbers were grown by Bedner Growers, Inc., in Boynton Beach.
They were distributed by Fresh Start Produce and sold from April 29 through May 19, the FDA reported.
Fire damages Matunuck Oyster Bar: Restaurant named one of USA TODAY's best places to eat in U.S.
Which states were people sickened in by cucumbers?
As of May 19, the salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers has sickened 26 people in the following 15 states:
Alabama
California
Colorado
Florida
Illinois
Kansas
Kentucky
Michigan
North Carolina
New York
Ohio
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia
Why you shouldn't freak out: These 10 foods were named the 'riskiest to eat right now.'
What is salmonella?
Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and fatal infections in children, the elderly, and other people with weakened immune systems, according to the CDC.
Most people infected with salmonella start developing symptoms 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated product. Diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps are the main symptoms.
Most people recover without treatment, but in rare circumstances the infection can require hospitalization, according to the CDC. Pregnant women are also at higher risk of developing an infection from it and should seek medical attention if symptoms arise.
Consumers who ate the affected cucumbers and have symptoms should contact their health care provider to report their symptoms, the FDA said, and receive care.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealu
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