There is a multistate outbreak of Salmonella across America with a total of 19 states being affected. The outbreak can be traced back to cucumbers grown by “Argotato S.A de C.V” in Sonora, Mexico. Many distributors have issued recalls on cucumbers grown by this company. On Nov. 26, around 68 people were infected with Salmonella related to the outbreak, according to the Washington State Department of Health.
The products infected are all sized cucumbers grown by Argotato S.A de C.V, and distributors including Sunfed Produce, Baloian Farms and Russ Davis have recalled all their cucumber products. According to the FDA, distribution may have reached farther than the current affected states, since cases and distribution were traced back to the states. There has been a total of 18 hospitalizations with zero people having passed from this outbreak; additional products consisted of Yummi sushi, Supreme Produce, and Snowfruit/Snowfox.
Salmonella is a bacterial infection caused by consuming raw or undercooked meat, and can be passed to other foods if it comes into contact with it. Salmonella, an airborne illness, results in a fever, vomiting and nausea, and treatment from a doctor is not normally needed unless severe dehydration occurs. The most common symptoms exhibited were diarrhea, stomach cramps and a fever. Not all cases were reported, so the outbreak could have likely been much larger.
With the previous outbreak in eggs, the CDC reported that the total number of infections is much larger with most cases going unreported. The cucumber outbreak also reported similar results, but the CDC says it’s still under investigation, as the FDA and the CDC are collaborating with states. The recalled cucumbers are sold in a crate or box, with a sticker with the name of the producer, “Argotato S.A de C.V”.
Walmarts located in Texas have recalled American sliced cucumbers sold at 35 stores because of Salmonella contamination. Cucumbers sold in Kroger’s stores located in Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, Texas and Wyoming also may have been affected. Products that may have been affected are Supreme produce, Yummi sushi and Snowfruit according to a chart done by the FDA. The outbreak has mostly affected midwest, western and northern states with the south largely unaffected excluding Texas. According to a map provided by the FDA, Montana seems to be the state most affected.
After the FDA found traces of Salmonellosis in cucumber products produced by Mexico and sold by various companies, Sunfed went on to notify all of its buyers. Before the FDA could catch the Salmonella, it had already been packaged, sold and bought by local stores. People have already been affected with salmonella. 34 people are already exhibiting symptoms, Which can last from 3-7 days, from consuming the bacteria. The CDC has advised to discard any cucumber produced by the stores and suppliers listed on their site.
The cucumbers may appear in a generic white box or a black crate with the label “SunFed” or “Pamela”, they could also be in clear plastic bags in various sizes with 7-digit codes. They advise to clean any surfaces or fridges that may have been housing the infected products.
