Several recalls stemming from the cucumber Salmonella outbreak have not been made public until now. At least 838 people in 38 states have been sickened in the outbreak that began in July and was announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in early September. One hundred and sixty five people have been hospitalized, four have died. Up until now, just two recalls have been made public. One on September 4, by Andrew & Williamson which recalled cucumbers sold under the “Limited Edition” brand label during the period from August 1, 2015 through September 3, 2015. Then, on September 11, another recall was issued by Custom Produce Sales for all cucumbers sold under the Fat Boy label starting August 1, 2015. Those unlabeled cucumbers, which were sold in Nevada, were … [Read more...]
FDA IDs Mexican Farm in Salmonella Cucumber Outbreak, Issues Ban
The U.S. Food and Administration (FDA) has identified the Mexican farm that produced the cucumbers linked to the deadly Salmonella outbreak and banned them. The FDA and the CDC continue to investigate the 31-state outbreak that has killed two people and sickened 416 others . Rancho Don Juanito de R.L. de C.V. located in Baja, Mexico has been identified as the source of the cucumbers. The import alert gives health officials the authority to prevent cucumbers from that farm from entering the country. The U.S. distributor of the cucumbers, Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce of San Diego, issued a recall for these dark green cucumbers, called “slicer” or “American” cucumbers, on September 4. A second recall was issued September 11 by Custom Produce Sales of Parlier, California, … [Read more...]
Cucumber Salmonella Outbreak Numbers Grow to 341 Sick, 2 Dead
The multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Poona linked to imported cucumbers has grown. Now at least 341 people in 30 states are sick. this is an increase of 56 cases in the last 5 days. Two people have, sadly, died of their illnesses; one in Texas and one in California. And 70 people have been hospitalized. Epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback investigations have identified imported cucumbers from Mexico, distributed by Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce as the likely source of this outbreak. Ninety-one percent of the 134 people interviewed so far reported eating cucumbers the week before they got sick. So far, Arizona, California, Montana, and Nevada isolated Salmonella from samples of cucumbers collected from locations that were distributed by Andrew & Williamson Fresh … [Read more...]
Cucumber Salmonella Outbreak Has High Hospitalization Rate
The cucumber Salmonella outbreak has a higher-than-average hospitalization rate. At this point it's not clear if underlying reason has to do with patient ages, antibiotic resistance, a particularly virulent strain or a combination of all three. Salmonella sickens more than a million Americans each year. Of those, about 40,000 are so sick they require hospitalization and about 400 die. With Salmonella outbreaks, the typical hospitalization rate is 20 percent. In this outbreak, it's 33 percent. More than half of those sickened in this outbreak, which includes 291 cases in 27 states, are children under 18. Children are among those at highest risk for Salmonella, with infection rates for children under 5 quintuple the rate for all other ages, according to the Centers for Disease Control … [Read more...]
Lack of Useful Salmonella Cucumber Recall Info Frustrates Consumers
Consumers are frustrated by the lack of recall information associated with the 27-state Salmonella outbreak responsible for at least 291 illnesses and one death. The outbreak was announced Friday evening, the start of the three-day Labor Day weekend, but neither federal officials, nor the distributor have provided a list of stores where the cucumbers, piled in bulk displays without any identifying markings, were sold. In comment sections of news reports about the outbreak consumers nationwide are asking: where were these sold? Good question. Before we look further, it's worth mentioning that this outbreak didn't just sneak up on everyone on the Friday before Labor Day. People have been getting sick since July. The CDC held a consultation with four independent experts from the … [Read more...]
Arizona Stores That Sold Cucumbers Linked to Salmonella Outbreak
With 66 reported cases, Arizona has been hardest hit by the deadly 27-state Salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers imported from Mexico. Grocery stores in Arizona that sold the recalled cucumbers include Walmart, WinCo and Food 4 Less. Andrew and Williamson Fresh Produce of San Diego issued a recall for the cucumbers on September 5. The recall includes cucumbers sold at the these stores from August 1 through September 3. These stores have removed the recalled cucumbers from all locations. Consumers who have any of these cucumbers at home should not eat them. Those who purchased and consumed them already should monitor themselves for symptoms. See a doctor and mention possible exposure to Salmonella if these symptoms develop. Stool tests can determine if an illness is linked to the … [Read more...]
