Los Angeles, Nov 28 (IANS) A fresh produce company is recalling whole cucumbers distributed in 26 states across the United States and multiple provinces in Canada due to salmonella risk, authorities have confirmed.
In an announcement posted on the US Food and Drug Administration’s website, Arizona-based SunFed Produce, LLC said it is recalling all sizes of whole fresh American cucumbers packaged in bulk cardboard containers labelled with the ‘SunFed’ label or in a generic white box or black plastic crate with a sticker that provides the implicated grower’s name, ‘Agrotato, S.A. de C.V..’
The recalled cucumbers were sold between October 12 and November 26 in California, Arizona, New York and 23 other states and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Ontario, said the company, adding that the cucumbers would have reached consumers through food service and retail outlets that may be located in states other than those listed above.
SunFed said it initiated the recall after the US Food and Drug Administration notified the company that the cucumbers were associated with reported salmonellosis illnesses between October 12 and November 15, Xinhua news agency reported.
“As soon as we learned of this issue, we immediately acted to protect consumers. We are working closely with authorities and the implicated ranch to determine the possible cause,” said Craig Slate, president at SunFed, in the announcement.
Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, according to the announcement.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on its website that Salmonella is a leading cause of foodborne illness, hospitalizations and deaths in the United States and worldwide. The agency estimates Salmonella causes about 1.35 million infections in the country every year.
–IANS
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