SunFed pickles recalled due to salmonella concerns

An Arizona company, SunFed Produce, has recalled cucumbers sold in 26 states and parts of Canada because they may be contaminated with salmonella.

SunFed Produce of Rio Rico, Arizona, is recalling American cucumbers sold between Oct. 12 and Nov. 26 because the Food and Drug Administration has linked them to some salmonella infections, or salmonellosis, the agency said Thursday . The FDA did not say how many people became ill.

The cucumbers were sold to companies that resell or redistribute their products to food service establishments and retailers. SunFed is contacting buyers to inform them of the recall of cucumbers that were sold in large cardboard containers marked “SunFed” or in an ordinary white box or black plastic crate with a sticker identifying the grower in Mexico: “Agrotato, SA de CV”

“When we learned of this issue, we took immediate action to protect consumers. We are working closely with authorities and the affected ranch to determine the possible cause,” SunFed President Craig Slate said in a news release.

As of Friday morning, neither SunFed nor the FDA provided further information about which retailers or food service establishments may have sold or served the pickles.

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States where pickles potentially linked to salmonella were sold

The whole fresh American cucumbers were sold by SunFed and other importers and shipped to customers in 26 states. The cucumbers may also have reached consumers through grocery and retail stores in other states, the FDA said:

Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Louisiana
Maryland
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Missouri
Montana
Nevada
New Jersey
new York
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin
Wyoming

The cucumbers were also sold in these Canadian provinces:

Alberta
British Columbia
Calgary
Saskatchewan
Ontario

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Symptoms of a salmonella infection

Salmonella is a bacteria that can enter the food production chain if the process is not sanitary and if workers who handle food do not wash their hands, the FDA says. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, salmonella can be spread through contaminated water that is improperly used to irrigate crops.

According to the CDC, symptoms of salmonella infection, or salmonellosis, usually appear between six hours and six days after exposure and can include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps.

Severe infections may include pain, headache, high fever, lethargy, skin rashes, and blood in the urine or stool. Some salmonella infections can be fatal.

According to the CDC, salmonella causes approximately 1.35 million illnesses, 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths annually in the United States.

Earlier this summer, a salmonella outbreak linked to recalled pickles (not related to SunFed) sickened at least 449 people in 31 states, according to the CDC. Other recent salmonella outbreaks have been linked to bearded dragons, backyard poultry and basil, the agency said.

Salmonella and cucumbers: What consumers should do

If you have pickles that you think may be affected by the recall, you should not consume or serve them, the FDA says. Consumers who are unsure whether they purchased the recalled product are encouraged to contact their retailer.

Some individual whole American cucumbers may also carry a sticker (as shown below).

Consumers may obtain additional information by calling SunFed’s recall hotline (888) 542-5849, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time (10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET).

If you think you may have had contaminated cucumbers, you should clean and disinfect all surfaces that may have come into contact with the cucumbers to reduce cross-contamination, the agency says. If you think you have consumed a recalled product and are not feeling well, contact your doctor, the FDA recommends.

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