Key Points
- Cucumbers linked to illness again after one year
- FDA probes cause of new cucumber contamination outbreak
- Fresh produce like cucumbers can carry Salmonella risk
ISLAMABAD: A salmonella outbreak swept across the United States last spring and summer, infecting over 550 people and resulting in the hospitalisation of 155 individuals.
Surprisingly, the source was not uncooked eggs or undercooked chicken, but rather a common salad ingredient: cucumbers, according to NBC News.
One year on, cucumbers are once again being linked to illness—this time involving 45 people across 18 states. Federal authorities have confirmed that one of the same Florida farms is again implicated.
The outbreak, traced to cucumbers from Bedner Growers in Palm Beach County, has led to a widespread product recall. Items affected include everything from California rolls sold at Target to banh mi sandwiches served in a North Carolina secondary school.
FDA’s investigation
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet determined how the cucumbers in the current outbreak became contaminated; an investigation is still ongoing.
However, during last year’s outbreak, the agency found that Bedner Growers had used untreated canal water for irrigation—water that was contaminated with a strain of salmonella found in patients who had fallen ill.
Although cucumbers and other fresh produce may seem like unlikely sources of salmonella, they can be dangerous.
The bacteria, which can cause diarrhoea, stomach cramps and fever—and in some cases lead to severe or fatal complications—are killed by cooking.
Contamination of vegetables
But when raw fruit and vegetables, like cucumbers, are contaminated, they pose a real risk. This highlights the importance of keeping fresh produce safe from pathogens that may be present in water used for irrigation or washing.
For many who become ill from eating contaminated produce, the cause of their illness is unexpected. “I wouldn’t expect a fruit or a vegetable to make me sick,” said Tara Chaffin from Midland, Michigan, who contracted salmonella during last year’s outbreak. “I would never expect it.”
According to the FDA, this year’s cucumber-linked outbreak was only identified in April due to a follow-up inspection of Bedner Growers. During the inspection, officials detected salmonella that matched the strain found in recently ill patients.
