The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Friday that 45 people in 18 states have reported being unwell as a result of a salmonella epidemic linked to a Florida-based cucumber manufacturer.
Target shops have joined an increasing number of retailers who have sold recalled cucumbers or goods that contain the fruit and are advising customers to discard them.
The merchant released a list of recalled goods, which included a Greek-style chicken salad from Boar’s Head and a number of sushi restaurant mainstays, including California rolls and maki rolls with tempura, all marketed under the Mai brand.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced last week that Walmart, a grocery store chain, was added to the list of merchants advising consumers to dispose of the potentially contaminated products; the Marketside cucumber slices are included in the recall.
Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia have all seen the emergence of patients linked to the outbreak, the FDA announced on Friday.
According to the FDA, 16 of the 45 individuals who have reported illnesses linked to the outbreak have been admitted to hospitals. There have been no reported fatalities.
Although the strain of salmonella montevideo has been the focus of investigations, the FDA stated in a statement on Friday that many other variants were found in samples obtained from a distribution center owned by Florida-based Bedner Growers in Pennsylvania, which is thought to be a source.
The FDA stated that while those various strains so far seem to have nothing to do with the spring outbreak, it is still conducting additional research in conjunction with researchers 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 stated. “Further analysis of the sample is pending.”
According to the EPA, cucumbers grown by Bedner and sold by Fresh Start Produce Sales are responsible for all of the illnesses that have been linked to them thus far. According to the FDA, sales of the cucumbers and their derivatives took place between April 29 and May 19.
Three Bedner’s Farm Fresh Market locations in Florida were the first retailers identified for selling the possibly contaminated cucumbers, but the number of vendors that interact with the public has kept growing.
The FDA stated that other wholesalers and restaurants were informed that they might have also bought the potentially contaminated cucumbers that were marked as “supers,” “selects,” or “plains” for wholesale.
During an investigation of Bedner Growers’ facilities last month, FDA investigators discovered contaminated cucumbers, the agency claimed. The FDA said the review was a follow-up to an outbreak of Salmonella Africana that was connected to the producer last year.
Related Story: Salmonella Fears Lead to Albertsons Recall in 11 States and Washington, D.C.
A request for comment made late Friday was not immediately answered by Bedner’s. A Fresh Start Produce Sales representative stated last week that the business “is committed to protecting public health and helping Bedner Growers with its recall.”
According to the FDA and CDC, salmonella is a bacterium that may flourish among animals and their feces and infect neighboring vegetables, which can make its way to the dinner table if left unwashed.
Those with weakened immune systems, children under five, and the elderly are especially vulnerable to the worst symptoms and even death from salmonella. According to the CDC, patients who are infected may experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps six hours to six days after infection.
In the United States and around the world, salmonella is “a leading cause of foodborne illness, hospitalizations, and deaths,” according to the CDC.
