Latest news with #BednerGrowers
New York Times
6 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Cucumbers Sickens 45 People
A salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers has sickened at least 45 people across 18 states, health officials said Friday and they warned that the number of people infected was likely higher. Companies including Target have issued recalls for products with cucumbers that may be contaminated. The cases have been reported across the Midwest and East Coast, with nearly a third of them in Georgia and Florida, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It said 16 people had been hospitalized. Salmonella can cause diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps and dehydration. Health officials have linked the outbreak to Bedner Growers, a cucumber grower based in Boynton Beach, Fla., that sells to wholesale distributors and directly to consumers. Potentially contaminated cucumbers, distributed between April 29 and May 19, were sold widely to stores and restaurants, the C.D.C. said. Eight of the sick people had been on cruise ships in the week before they fell ill, all departing from ports in Florida, the C.D.C. said. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
NBC News
16 hours ago
- Health
- NBC News
Salmonella outbreak in cucumbers expands to 18 states, 45 sickened
A salmonella outbreak traced to a Florida-based cucumber producer has expanded to include 45 people reporting illness in 18 states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday. Target stores joined a growing list of retailers that sold recalled cucumbers or ready-to-eat products featuring the fruit, and it's warning that purchasers should throw them away. The retailer issued a list of recalled products, including a Greek-style chicken salad from Boar's Head and several types of sushi restaurant staples, such as maki rolls with tempura and California rolls, all sold under the Mai brand. Last week, grocery store chain Walmart was added to the list of retailers urging customers to put the possibly tainted products in the trash, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; its Marketside cucumber slices are a part of the recall. Patients connected to the outbreak have turned up in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, the FDA said on Friday. Of 45 people who have reported illness connected to the outbreak, 16 have been hospitalized, the agency said. No deaths have been reported. While investigators' focus has been on the strain salmonella montevideo, multiple other strains were detected in samples taken from a Pennsylvania distribution center belonging to Florida-based Bedner Growers, believed to be a source, the FDA said in its Friday statement. The FDA said that those different strains so far appear to be unrelated to the spring outbreak, but that it is investigating further alongside scientists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "CDC is working to determine if additional human illnesses match these additional strains," the FDA said. "Further analysis of the sample is pending." All the illnesses so far have been connected to cucumbers produced by Bedner and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales, the agency said. The cucumbers and products that contained them were sold from April 29 to May 19, the FDA said. The first retailers noted for selling the potentially tainted cucumbers were three Bedner's Farm Fresh Market locations in Florida, but the list of public-facing sellers has continued to increase. Other distributors as well as eateries were told they may have also purchased the possibly tainted cucumbers, labeled for wholesale as 'supers,' 'selects,' or 'plains," the FDA said. FDA inspectors unearthed tainted cucumbers during an inspection last month of Bedner Growers' facilities, it said. The review was a follow-up to a Salmonella Africana outbreak linked to the producer last year, according to the agency. Bedner's did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Friday. A spokesperson for Fresh Start Produce Sales said last week that the company "is committed to protecting public health and helping Bedner Growers with its recall." Salmonella is a bacterium that can thrive amid animals and their fecal matter and contaminate nearby produce, which can reach the dinner table if unwashed, according to the FDA and CDC. Older people, children under 5, and those with compromised immune systems are particularly susceptible to the salmonella's worst symptoms and even death. Patients sickened by it can develop stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea and the urge to vomit anywhere from six hours to six days after infection, the CDC says. Salmonella is 'a leading cause of foodborne illness, hospitalizations, and deaths in the United States and worldwide," the CDC states.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Salmonella update: Cruise ship outbreak linked to recalled cucumbers
The Brief At least 45 people in 18 states have been sickened in a salmonella outbreak. The outbreak includes cruise ship passengers exposed to recalled cucumbers. Cucumbers from Bedner Growers were recalled after testing positive for salmonella. LOS ANGELES - Federal health officials are investigating a salmonella outbreak tied to recalled cucumbers that has sickened at least 45 people across 18 states—including passengers on six different cruise ships. The cucumbers were distributed to grocery stores, hospitals, restaurants, and cruise lines. At least 16 people have been hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak has been traced to cucumbers produced by Florida-based Bedner Growers and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales. The contaminated cucumbers were sold between April 29 and May 19. The backstory The CDC confirmed that illnesses have been reported from people aboard six cruise ships that departed Florida ports between late March and mid-April. It's not yet clear whether the cucumbers were served onboard or consumed shortly before embarkation, but the illnesses are part of the same genetic outbreak strain. The outbreak was discovered during a follow-up inspection tied to a 2024 salmonella outbreak that also involved Bedner Growers. That prior outbreak sickened more than 550 people. By the numbers The recalled cucumbers were shipped to retailers, hospitals, restaurants, and cruise lines in multiple states. Target was among the retailers affected, issuing recalls for: Whole cucumbers Salads Vegetable rolls Deli items containing cucumbers The FDA confirmed that a cucumber sample from a Pennsylvania distribution center tested positive for the same salmonella strain found in infected patients. Investigators also detected multiple additional salmonella strains in samples connected to the same grower. Why you should care Salmonella infection can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, fever, and dehydration. Most healthy people recover without treatment within a week, but serious illness can occur in: Children under 5 Adults over 65 People with weakened immune systems Anyone who consumed cucumbers or prepared foods with cucumbers between late April and mid-May and is experiencing symptoms is urged to contact a healthcare provider. What's next The CDC and FDA continue to monitor for new cases and are working to determine whether other contaminated products or additional states may be involved. Further recalls may be issued as testing expands. Consumers are advised to check their refrigerators and discard any recalled cucumbers or ready-to-eat items containing cucumbers purchased between April 29 and May 19. Surfaces and containers that touched the cucumbers should also be washed and sanitized. The Source This article is based on information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as of May 31, 2025. The outbreak investigation traces back to cucumbers from Bedner Growers and includes cruise ship passengers among those affected. Additional details were sourced from product recall notices and public health updates.
20 hours ago
- Health
Dozens sickened in expanding salmonella outbreak linked to recalled cucumbers
Nearly four dozen people in 18 states have been sickened in an expanding outbreak of salmonella food poisoning tied to recalled cucumbers sent to restaurants, hospitals, cruise ships and grocery stores, including Target stores, federal health officials said Friday. At least 16 people have been hospitalized after eating cucumbers produced by Florida-based Bedner Growers and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The cucumbers were sold from April 29 through May 19. The outbreak includes reports of illness from people aboard six different cruise ships that departed from U.S. ports between late March and mid-April, the CDC said. The true number of sick people is likely much higher and the outbreak could affect additional states, officials said. Several companies have issued recalls for whole cucumbers and cucumbers used in a range of sandwiches, salsas and other foods linked to the outbreak. Target recalled dozens of products, including whole cucumbers, salads and vegetable rolls. The outbreak was detected during a follow-up inspection in April to a 2024 outbreak that sickened 551 people and led to 155 hospitalizations in 34 states and Washington, D.C. In that outbreak, investigators found salmonella bacteria linked to many of the illnesses in untreated canal water used at farms operated by Bedner Growers and Thomas Produce Company. As part of the new investigation, FDA officials found salmonella in a sample of Bedner Growers cucumbers at a distribution center in Pennsylvania. That sample matched the strain of salmonella that made people sick. In addition, 'multiple other strains' of salmonella were detected that match samples in a government database. CDC officials are working to determine whether additional illnesses in people match those strains. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhea, fever, severe vomiting, dehydration and stomach cramps. Most people who get sick recover within a week. Infections can be severe in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems, who may require hospitalization. ___
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Salmonella outbreak expanding from cucumbers grown in South Florida
Cucumbers grown by a Boynton Beach company are making dozens of people sick in a widening salmonella outbreak. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention announced on Friday that they are investigating Salmonella Montevideo infections linked to recalled cucumbers in Florida and 17 other states. The cucumbers were grown by Bedner Growers in Boynton Beach and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales of Delray Beach. They were sold to retailers, distribution centers, wholesalers, and food service distributors from April 29 to May 19. The cucumbers may have been sold individually or in smaller packages. Anyone who eats the contaminated food usually will show symptoms within 12 to 72 hours. The symptoms usually last four to seven days and include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. Children under 5, the elderly, and individuals with weakened immune systems are more likely to experience severe infections. 'Consumers who have symptoms should contact their health care provider to report their symptoms and receive care,' the federal agency advises. Some potentially contaminated cucumbers were available at Bedner's Farm Fresh Market in three Florida locations including Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and West Palm Beach. Some retailers further processed the cucumbers by using them as ingredients in new products or by repackaging them. Target is conducting an additional recall for products that used cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers. Walmart sold the recalled cucumbers under its Marketside label. FDA has posted a list of additional recalls being conducted by retailers The FDA is urging restaurants, retailers, and distributors that purchased potentially contaminated recalled cucumbers to notify their customers of the potential health concern. Florida and Georgia have the most reported cases of salmonella linked to Bedner Growers cucumbers — as many as seven cases each. There have been 45 cases and nine hospitalizations linked to the outbreak, but no deaths. Other states with reported cases include Alabama, California, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. If you cannot tell if your cucumber was grown by Bedner Growers, throw it away, the FDA advises. The agency also suggests when eating out over the next week, ask if cucumbers were from Bedner Growers or Fresh Start Produce Sales. South Florida Sun Sentinel health reporter Cindy Goodman can be reached at cgoodman@
