Food Safety Expert Encourages Caution but Calm in Wake of Cucumber Salmonella Outbreak

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently investigating a Salmonella outbreak linked to South Florida cucumber grower Bedner Growers that has sickened 45 consumers across 18 states, resulting in 16 hospitalizations.

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) professor of food safety Keith Schneider studies foodborne illness associated with raw produce consumption. Although he’s not involved with the FDA investigation, he shared some insight on the outbreak based on his research.

© UF/IFAS Photography

“It’s important to note that the system of food safety checks is working as intended, because it picked up that there’s been a cluster of individuals who are getting sick from a particular organism, and the potential source was quickly pulled from store shelves,” he said.

The FDA is encouraging consumers, retailers and distributors to dispose of any cucumbers sourced from Bedner Growers of Boynton Beach, Fla., between April 29 and May 19. They should clean and sanitize any surfaces that may have come in contact with the cucumbers.

Throw away or return any suspect product, but don’t swear off cucumbers altogether — especially if they came from another grower or grower region, Schneider said.

“There is nothing inherently dangerous about cucumbers,” he said. “It’s simply that this particular product from a specific grower may have somehow become contaminated because Salmonella was detected on the property.”

The FDA investigation continues, and officials have not announced a cause of the outbreak. They detected Salmonella in an environmental sample from Bedner Growers, during a follow-up inspection initiated by a June 2024 Salmonella outbreak traced to cucumbers that likely came from that business and another, Thomas Produce Company of Boca Raton, Fla. That incident involved 551 illnesses and 155 hospitalizations reported in 34 states.

Because bacteria are microscopic, it’s extremely difficult to know whether they are present on produce or not, but consumers can increase their odds of staying healthy by buying undamaged fruits and vegetables, storing them within a refrigerator if they’re meant to be chilled and periodically cleaning produce drawers, Schneider said.

Most food harbors bacteria, he said, but most of it is benign, and it doesn’t make people sick.

“While foodborne illness can be very serious and potentially life threatening, it’s relatively rare considering the amount of food Americans consume every year,” Schneider said.