BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — U.S. Health officials are warning about a new salmonella outbreak, tied to cucumbers grown in Palm Beach County.
The cucumbers in question came from Bedner Growers Inc. in Boynton Beach, for the second time.
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According to the FDA, the cucumbers were sold to restaurants, stores and food service distributors between April 29th and May 19th.
At least 26 people across the nation have gotten sick so far and 9 have been hospitalized.
“The message would be to discard cucumbers if you don’t know where they came from or if you know that they came from Florida until this outbreak goes away,” said infectious disease physician, Dr. Kleper De Almeida with Palm Beach Health Network.
Dr. De Almeida said anyone who’s eaten cucumbers could experience diarrhea, stomach pain, fever, and dehydration.
“The people that are most commonly affected by these severe symptoms are children younger than 5 and adults older than 65,” said Dr. De Almeida.
This is the second time Bedner Growers have been in the center of attention.
Last summer, our investigative reporter Dave Bohman reported the farm was likely the source of salmonella food poisoning that left nearly 450 people sick nationwide. The FDA traced it to untreated canal water used on crops.
“It was definitely a big surprise to us because we eat cucumbers in our food a lot in our salads, poke bowls,” said Emilee Comar.
According to the FDA, some contaminated cucumbers were sold at Bedner’s Farm Fresh Market locations in Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, and West Palm Beach.
We reached out to Bedner Growers for a response but instead got a pre-recorded voicemail message that says in part:
“Because the recalled cucumbers do not bear any stickers or other labeling, you should follow up with your place of purchase to ask whether any cucumbers you bought are part of the recall. In the meantime, we encourage you to not eat any cucumbers out of an abundance of caution, until you find out whether they were affected by the recall.”
In the meantime, Dr. De Almeida said to wash other vegetables and surfaces that may have come in contact with cucumbers.
