An Arizona produce company has announced that they were recalling all the size of its whole, fresh American cucumbers in 26 states and parts of Canada because they could be contaminated with salmonella.
The announcement was made on Thursday and published online by the Food and Drug Administration stating the cucumbers that were sold from October 12 to November 26 were recalled because they were suspected to have been contaminated with salmonella which has the potential to cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems.
The recalled cucumbers were packaged in bulk cardboard containers marked with the SunFed label or in generic white boxes or black plastic crates with stickers naming the grower, according to the company.
It was disclosed that the produce was distributed in 26 states in the US which are 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.
The company also confirmed that the produce was sold to some parts of Canada, including the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Calgary, Ontario and Saskatchewan.
The company further disclosed that the cucumbers could have reached consumers through food service and retail outlets that may be located in states other than those listed.
SunFed President Craig Slate in a statement stated that as soon as the company was aware of the situation they decided take immediate action which was done to protect the consumers. The president further noted that they were working with the authorities t ensure the cause the cause of the problem was known.
SunFed urged consumers to check whether their cucumbers match those that were recalled and to avoid consuming or distributing any suspicious produce. They advised customers to throw out any recalled products.
It was learned that some Cucumbers were also recalled earlier this year in South Florida, where at least 551 people were likely sickened by salmonella and 155 hospitalized. Many of the recalled cucumbers were linked to Bedner Growers Inc., and Thomas Produce Co., both of Palm Beach County, Florida, according to the FDA. Thomas denied its products were directly connected.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calculates that salmonella causes about 1.35 million infections in the United States each year.
