A Salmonella Outbreak and Multiple Hospitalizations Has Been Linked to Tainted Cucumbers

Before you go and drink nutritious cucumber water or add chopped cucumbers to your delicious summer salad, be sure to double-check which company grew and distributed the cucumbers you're so excited to consume. As it turns out, once again, there is another multistate Salmonella outbreak that has been traced back to cucumbers, almost exactly a year since the last such outbreak.

This disaster comes amid concerns over Listeria contamination of certain foods, as well as ongoing avian flu worries.

Which companies are taking the heat for this monstrous mess-up — and are those careless companies repeat offenders? Where have the tainted cucumbers been distributed? How many hospitalizations and reported cases of Salmonella infections have there been so far?

We cover all of these concerns, and more, in the report below.

According to the May 19 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Whole Cucumbers, "CDC and public health officials in several states are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella infections linked to whole cucumbers," grown by Bedner Growers Inc. and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Inc.

Per the report, there have been 26 cases of Salmonella infections thus far, resulting in nine hospitalizations and, thankfully, zero reported deaths.

According to the Marler Clark, Inc. food safety law firm, "Seven sick people reported taking a cruise seven days before becoming ill, all departing from locations in Florida."

Furthermore, those infected with Salmonella "were aboard five different cruise ships that departed the United States between March 30 and April 12," a period that coincides with the listed dates of when illnesses began, per the CDC investigation.

Per the CDC, "recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak," which meshes perfectly with the timeline of the cruises and when illnesses began being reported.

Per the CDC investigation, the median age of those infected with Salmonella is 53, although the age range of those infected is between two years old and 69.

Additionally, the overwhelming majority of those infected — 77% — are males. A remarkable 75% of those infected identified as white, while the remaining 25% of those infected identified as African American.

In total, 86% of those infected identify as non-Hispanic. Only some of the individuals infected with Salmonella reported to the CDC that they ate cucumbers, potentially hinting at contamination through other means for some unlucky individuals.

As the Associated Press notes, the same Florida grower whose contaminated cucumbers resulted in 550 illnesses around this time last year is the culprit once more this time around. "Untreated water...is one likely source of Salmonella food poisoning," the Associated Press reported in July 2024.

"In that outbreak, investigators found Salmonella bacteria linked to many of the illnesses in untreated canal water used at farms operated by Bedner Growers and Thomas Produce Company," per the source.