Latest news with #BillMarler
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida cucumber recall triggers dozens of salad, sushi recalls from Walmart, Kroger, more
Companies using cucumbers recalled from a Florida farm that have been linked to dozens of cases of Salmonella poisoning are issuing their own recalls, with six more announced for products sold at Walmart, Albertsons, Kroger and more retail locations. Bedner Growers Inc. of Boynton Beach, voluntarily recalled cucumbers sold at Bedner's Farm Fresh Market and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales, Inc., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a release May 19. 'Cucumbers have been linked to earlier outbreaks sickening over 1,000 people. Bedner Growers was linked to a Salmonella outbreak in 2024,' said food safety attorney, Bill Marler. The Food and Drug Administration has released voluntary recalls announcements for prepared salads, vegetable bowls and plates, sushi and more across 27 states. As of May 23, there have been 26 reported Salmonella cases, the CDC said, in 15 states, including Florida. "Several people ate cucumbers on cruise ships leaving ports in Florida," the CDC said. Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. No deaths have been reported, but nine people have been hospitalized, the CDC said. Here's what to know. The cucumbers were sold at three Bedner's Farm Fresh Market locations in Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, and West Palm Beach between April 29, 2025, and May 14, 2025, according to a release from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The vegetables were also distributed to retailers, distribution centers, wholesalers, and food service distributors this spring. The new recalls are for: : 5-pound mesh bags of whole cucumbers shipped to Restaurant Depot distribution centers using the UPC code 841214101714, packaged between May 2 and May 5 Sold in: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio Questions: Contact PennRose Farms at 800 804 7254 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET) : Authentic Greek Salad, Readymeals Greek Salad and Greek Salad, with various sell-thru dates from around May 20 to May 24 Sold in: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Questions: Contact Albertsons Companies' Customer Service Center at 1-877-723-3929 Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. PST. : 24 different vegetable trays, vegetable bowls, salads, noodle bowls and sushi under the Snowfruit or Snowfox labels; 5 different vegetable bowls and salads under the Roundy's label; and a cucumber salad and sushi containing cucumber under the Weis Market label Sold in: Kroger, Roundy's (Pick n Save and Metro Market), and Weis Market retail locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin Questions: Contact the company at hello@ or hello@ : Any Made-To-Order small sub, large sub, 30' Super Sub, wrap or panini purchased on May 20 or May 21 Sold in: 30 locations in Connecticut and Massachusetts Questions: Contact Big Y Foods at wecare@ call Big Y Foods at 1-800-828-2688 (select Option #7) Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. – 4 p.m., or contact the Smartcuts company at 1-860-525-3237 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. : Marinated Cucumber Salad in 16 ounce, 36 ounce and bulk sizes sold between May 11 and May 26 Sold in: Food Lion Stores in North Carolina and Virginia; Harris Teeter in Williamsburg, Virginia; Kroger Stores in Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky; Libbie Market and Ukrop's Market Hall in Richmond, Virginia Questions: Ukrop's Homestyle Foods at 804-340-3050, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. Marketside Fresh Cut Cucumber Slices Sold in: Select stores in Texas between May 13th, 2025, and May 20th, 2025 Questions: Visit or contact Walmart's Customer Care Team at 1-800-925- 6278 Products have been removed from shelves and are no longer available for purchase. The recall does not affect cucumbers currently for sale at Bedner's Farm Fresh Markets after May 14, 2025, the FDA said, and does not include any other products. The company is no longer producing or selling its own cucumbers because the season is over. In June 2024, Fresh Start Produce Sales Inc. recalled cucumbers from Bedner and from Thomas Produce Company of Boca Raton that were linked to a salmonella outbreak that ultimately sickened 551 people in 34 states and the District of Columbia, including 60 people in Florida. Investigations found multiple strains of salmonella in samples of both soil and water tested at Bedner Growers, Inc. and the FDA suggested at the time that Bedner's also may have been a source for other outbreaks. "Multiple other strains of Salmonella, unrelated to this outbreak investigation, found at Bedner Growers Inc. matched clinical isolates from illnesses in the National Center for Biotechnology Information's (NCBI) database that occurred in previous years," the FDA said. Of the patients, 125 people were hospitalized, the CDC reported, and the outbreak ended in late August 2024. No deaths were reported. According to the CDC, the people infected in the salmonella outbreak as of May 20 are in: Alabama: 1 California: 1 Colorado: 1 Florida: 3 Illinois: 4 Kansas: 1 Kentucky: 1 Michigan: 1 New York: 1 North Carolina: 3 Ohio: 4 Pennsylvania: 2 South Carolina: 1 Tennessee: 1 Virginia: 1 "Salmonella are bacteria that make people sick," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its fact page. Salmonella can make people ill with diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps, which can last from four days up to a week. Symptoms usually begin six hours to six days after infection, the CDC said. Most cases of Salmonella infections pass, but some people may need to be hospitalized. Children younger than 5, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe illness. 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, the FDA said. Salmonella bacteria cause "about 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the United States every year," the CDC said. "Food is the source for most of these illnesses." This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida cucumber Salmonella recall endangers these prepared foods
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Florida grower linked to back-to-back salmonella outbreaks tied to cucumbers
The Brief The FDA issued a recall last week after the contaminated cucumbers were linked to Bedner Growers in Boynton Beach. It's the same grower responsible for a similar outbreak last year that sickened more than 500 people. In last year's case, the FDA traced the cause of the outbreak to untreated canal water used to irrigate crops. The cause of this year's outbreak is still unclear. TAMPA, Fla. - Cucumbers grown in Florida are part of the latest salmonella outbreak. The FDA issued a recall last week after the contaminated cucumbers were linked to Bedner Growers in Boynton Beach, which is the same grower responsible for a similar outbreak last year that sickened more than 500 people. Big picture view "It's a pretty unusual occurrence to see an outbreak happening again and again within a year from the same company," food safety attorney Bill Marler said. RELATED: Cucumbers recalled after Salmonella sickens 26 in several states; 9 hospitalized Marler has three decades of experience representing hundreds of victims sickened by contaminated food. In last year's case, the FDA traced the cause of the outbreak to untreated canal water used to irrigate crops. The cause of this year's outbreak is still unclear. "This isn't the first cucumber outbreak that's occurred. They occur every couple of years, and they can be sometimes quite large and deadly. Usually they're linked to a water source where the water was contaminated by cattle feces or frogs or snakes," Marler said. By the numbers The latest map from the CDC shows that as of Monday night, 26 people in 15 states have been sickened by the outbreak, including four people in Florida. So far, nine people have been hospitalized. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube "The concerning thing is that, over the last few days, we've seen fairly significant recalls, which tells me there's a lot of this product in the market. So I think unfortunately the number of ill people is likely to go up," Marler said. Dig deeper Once consumed, it can take about 12 to 72 hours for salmonella symptoms to set in, like vomiting, diarrhea or dehydration. Antibiotics are one of the most effective treatments and while about 1.4 million Americans get salmonella every year, more than 99.5% of people survive it. "The FDA's website has a lot of really good information about the recalls that are happening. If it's taking you a little bit too long to figure it out, there's a good adage in the food safety space, it's when in doubt, throw it out," Marler said. FOX 13 reached out to Bedner Growers for comment and are still waiting to hear back. For more information on the latest outbreak, click here. The Source The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Jordan Bowen. WATCH FOX 13 NEWS: STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app:Apple |Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
A Popular Salad Kit Company Is Being Sued Over E. Coli Outbreak That Killed 1 and Sickened 89
Last year, Taylor Farms came under fire after its sliced onions, which are served on McDonald's Quarter Pounders, were found to be the source of the chain's E. coli outbreak. The outbreak, which was initiated in October 2024, sickened over 100 people but was fully resolved and closed in December, according to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) alert on the incident. Now, the California-based grower is once again in the spotlight as it's been handed two new lawsuits that claim it knew about an E. coli outbreak affecting its romaine lettuce last fall, but it failed to alert the public of any risk. Marler Clark Inc., PS, a food safety-focused law firm, is suing Taylor Farms, alleging that the company knowingly experienced a romaine lettuce E. coli outbreak in November 2024 and didn't notify the public. Taylor Farms, however, denies any involvement in the incident. The outbreak sickened more than 89 people and caused severe illness requiring hospitalization in 36, including one death. Now, multiple lawsuits are being filed on behalf of affected individuals. According to a recent press release, the outbreak stretched across 15 states, including Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, with the highest concentration of cases taking place in Missouri. Out of the individuals with serious complications, seven were diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). According to the CDC, HUS is a very serious complication of E. coli infection that may lead to organ damage, including kidney failure. In January, the outbreak was closed by the CDC and Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a status change that only occurs once there is no evidence of new illness and the outbreak's source has been identified and resolved. Page four of the FDA's Executive Incident Summary, obtained by NBC News, states that the sole processor of the romaine lettuce has been identified, but the company's name is redacted throughout the document. Additionally, the summary states that "there were no public communications related to this outbreak," with the reasoning being that there was "no product remaining in commerce." Genome sequencing determined the specific strain of bacteria, which in this case was E. coli O157:H7. Tracing confirmed that it was the same strain present in affected individuals across all states, including the high school in St. Louis County where 50 fell ill after eating a catered lunch. Attorney Bill Marler believes that the investigation points to Taylor Farms as the source; however, the company denies these claims. "Taylor Farms product WAS NOT the source of the referenced 2024 E. coli outbreak. We perform extensive raw and finished product testing on all our products, and there was no evidence of contamination. Any reporting that connects Taylor Farms products to these heartbreaking illnesses is dangerous, irresponsible, and unfair to the impacted will continue to deliver the safest, healthiest fresh foods in the world," it emphasized in a statement to Allrecipes. Further, the brand explained that "E. coli 0157:H7 comes from livestock, not from fresh produce. The FDA did not find the source of this outbreak because it is not authorized to inspect the beef industry." Frank Yiannas, a renowned food safety leader and independent third party, also provided a comment on news of the lawsuit: "If the FDA lacked sufficient scientific evidence to publicly identify a farm or firm, it would make sense for them not to name a company, as incorrectly identifying or implicating a food or firm without sufficient evidence would be reckless, unfairly damage the livelihood of a farmer and/or producer, and, longer term do more harm than good to trust in the FDA and the broader food system." However, Marler feels confident in the assertion that Taylor Farms is at fault. "Because we represent people and families from several states that were whole genome sequences (WGS) matches to each other, it was not long until our on-staff Epidemiologist determined that the common link was that all clients consumed Taylor Farms romaine lettuce in the outbreak period," he stated in the press release. At this time, the lawsuits are still active, and no company name has been released by the FDA. Taylor Farms is considering legal action of its own to defend Scouts Is Being Sued After Tests Find Cookies Allegedly Contain Heavy Metals and Pesticides If You've Ever Purchased These Potato Chips, You May Be Eligible for Money in a New SettlementRead the original article on ALLRECIPES
