According to multiple news reports, consumers continue to fall ill even after contaminated cucumbers have been recalled in the past.
An article on Politico shows that the US Food and Drug Administration announced that the long-running Salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers may still be ongoing simply because there might be cucumbers coming from other sources that are also contaminated with Salmonella.
Recently, the FDA tested cucumbers sourced from retailers and what the agency found is that all products presented a high level of contamination.
The tests were carried out precisely because the FDA wanted to understand why people are still getting sick after regulators launched a major recall that impacted cucumbers imported from Mexico. To experts, cucumbers may have become contaminated due to cross-contamination due to their exposure to contaminated items in shipping containers or other food contact surfaces.
While the investigation turned out to be inconclusive, the FDA is still looking into this issue in order to identify the origin of this major problem. So far 904 people have fallen ill while 6 have died as a result of infections linked to Salmonella found in cucumbers. The agency has stated that while many consumers have fallen ill, the outbreak was over on March 18.
While the FDA’s report hasn’t received much media attention, consumers are being urged to pay attention to FDA reports and stay on top of the recall reports in order to stay safe.
According to the official report released by the FDA, consumers are still urged to avoid eating cucumbers shipped in a black, green, yellow and craft colored carton reading “Limited Edition Pole Grown Cucumbers.” These items may have been sold as “Slicer” or “American” cucumbers.
Recalled items were distributed by Andrew & Williamson.
The FDA is urging consumers to return the products or throw it out, do not resell it or consume it if you are in doubt. Consumers may return Andrew & Williamson cucumbers to the place of purchase. Click here to read the full report or have your concerns addressed.
Consumers should go out of their way to make sure that their kitchen and cooking stations are thoroughly sanitized. Also, make sure to never ignore the risks associated with cross-contamination. Make sure that the utensils you are using are clean whenever you move on to chop another vegetable or piece of meat. For more information on how to avoid cross contamination, watch the video below.