Cucumbers recalled after more than 20 people are sickened in Salmonella outbreak

The Food and Drug Administration announced a recall of cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales because of a multistate Salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than 20 people.

The Food and Drug Administration announced a recall of cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales because of a multistate Salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than 20 people.

The FDA said in a statement Monday that the cucumbers have been distributed to restaurants, wholesalers, retailers and distribution centers since April 29. The FDA is working to determine where the potentially contaminated vegetables were sold.

"Cucumbers may have been sold individually or in smaller packages, with or without a label that may not bear the same brand, product name, or best by date," the FDA warned. "For distributors, restaurants, and retailers who have purchased these cucumbers, the products were labeled as either being 'supers,' 'selects,' or 'plains.'"

FDA investigators conducting a follow-up inspection of the cucumbers last month collected a sample that came back positive for Salmonella Montevideo and "matched recent clinical samples from ill people," the FDA said. The inspection was a follow-up to a Salmonella Africana outbreak linked to Bedner Growers last year. Fresh Start Produce Sales also issued a recall of whole cucumbers last year because of possible Salmonella contamination.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Salmonella is a bacterium that can sicken those who consume it by eating contaminated food, drinking contaminated water or touching animals, their fecal matter or the areas they live in. People who contract the illness can have stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting anywhere from six hours to six days after infection, and symptoms can last up to seven days.