Number One Outbreak of 2024 Was Bedner Cucumber Salmonella

The number one outbreak of 2024 was the Bedner cucumber Salmonella outbreak that sickened at least 551 people in 34 states and the District of Columbia. The cucumbers were also sold by Thomas Produce Company. That outbreak ended in August 2024.

The case count by state was: Alabama (6), Arkansas (1), California (1), Connecticut (8), Delaware (3), Florida (60), Georgia (48), Illinois (9), Indiana (4), Iowa (5), Kentucky (20), Maine (4), Maryland (17), Massachusetts (11), Michigan (12), Minnesota (10), Mississippi (2), Missouri (4), Nevada (1), New Jersey (22), New York (69), North Carolina (27), Ohio (20), Oklahoma (2), Pennsylvania (68), Rhode Island (8), South Carolina (22), Tennessee (22), Texas (2), Vermont (2), Virginia (48), Washington (1), West Virginia (7), Wisconsin (4), and the District of Columbia (1). The patient age range was from less than one year to 94. And the number of hospitalizations was 155.

Epidemiologic, traceback, and laboratory evidence found that these cucumbers were contaminated with Salmonella and made people sick. Two different outbreak investigations of Salmonella Africana and Salmonella Braenderup were combined when investigators found they showed similarities. Fresh Start Produce recalled the cucumbers in early June 2024.

Of those sickened, 269 people were infected with Salmonella Braenderup bacteria and 282 were sickened with Salmonella Africana. Illness onset dates ranged from March 11, 2024 to July 26, 2024. The hospitalization rate was 34%, which is high for a Salmonella outbreak. The typical hospitalization rate for this pathogen is 20%.

Whole genome sequencing showed that bacteria that made people sick were closely related genetically. That means that people likely got sick from eating the same food.

Cucumbers from Bedner Growers, Inc. of Boynton Beach, Florida and Thomas Produce Company of Boca Raton, Florida were likely sources of illnesses in this outbreak. But those cucumbers did not account for all of the illnesses in this outbreak. Salmonella Braenderup bacteria that matched the outbreak strain was found in canal water at both farms. Those cucumbers are no longer on the market and available for consumers to buy, but some people may have frozen them for later use.

If you did freeze these cucumbers, discard them. Salmonella bacteria is not always destroyed by the freezing process. If you have recently eaten these cucumbers and have been ill with the symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning, see your doctor. You may be part of this outbreak.

If you have been sickened with a food poisoning infection, please contact our experienced attorneys for help with a possible lawsuit at 1-888-377-8900 or text us at 612-261-0856. Our firm represents clients in lawsuits against grocery stores, restaurants, and food processors.