IL Residents Sickened By Cucumbers In Salmonella Outbreak

ILLINOIS — Multiple Illinois residents fell ill in a nationwide salmonella outbreak that has sickened people in 15 states and is linked to recalled cucumbers from a Florida-based grower, authorities said.

Three or four Prairie State residents are among the 26 people to have contracted salmonella in connection with the recalled cucumbers, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At least nine of the people who got sick have been hospitalized, health officials said.

"The true number of sick people in this outbreak was likely much higher than the number reported, and this outbreak may not have been limited to the states with known illnesses," according to the CDC.

No deaths have been reported, the agency said.

Bedner Growers Inc. recalled cucumbers sold between April 29 and May 14 due to potential contamination from salmonella, which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children and the elderly.

The recalled cucumbers were sold directly to consumers at three Bedner’s Farm Fresh Markets in Florida, but the people sickened live in states from coast to coast, and the outbreak is linked to cruise ships.

States where people have fallen ill include Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Seven of the sick people reported taking a cruise the week before experiencing symptoms, authorities said, noting all the affected cruise passengers departed from Florida. The people who fell ill were aboard five different cruise ships that departed between March 30 and April 12.

The recalled cucumbers were also sold to a wholesale distributor, which has been directed to contact its customers with instructions, health officials said. Businesses should not sell or serve whole cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Inc. between April 29 and May 19, according to authorities.

The outbreak was detected as part of a follow-up inspection in April to a 2024 outbreak that sickened 551 people and led to 155 hospitalizations in 34 states and Washington, D.C. In that outbreak, investigators found salmonella bacteria linked to many of the illnesses in untreated canal water used at farms operated by Bedner Growers and Thomas Produce Co.

In the current outbreak, officials found salmonella bacteria from samples on the farm that matched samples from people who got sick.

For more information, those who have purchased the recalled cucumbers can call Bedner Growers at 866-222-9180 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time from Monday to Friday.