Cucumbers Sold At NJ Chain Store Recalled Over Salmonella Concerns

Cucumbers sold in New Jersey are being recalled because they may be contaminated with Salmonella, the FDA said. The CDC is currently investigating a Salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers that has sickened 26 people in 15 states.

PennRose Farms is recalling 5-pound mesh bags of whole cucumbers shipped to Restaurant Depot distribution centers located in New Jersey and four other states.

Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

More than 9,000 bags are included in the recall. The bags can be identified using the UPC code 841214101714, packaged between May 2-May 5, with lot numbers (48-122, 48-123, 48-124, 48-125).

The cucumbers were grown by Bedner Growers and repackaged by PennRose Farms. The Bedner Growers cucumbers have sickened more than two dozen people from across more than a dozen states, according to the CDC.

Outbreak also linked to cruise ships

Seven sick people reported taking a cruise during the seven days prior to becoming sick, the CDC said. They departed their cruise from locations in Florida. The people who fell ill were aboard five different cruise ships that departed between March 30 and April 12, the CDC said.

The cruise ship operator and destination of the journey was not revealed.

According to health officials, illnesses started on April 2. Of the 23 people with information available, nine have been hospitalized.

"Sick people on cruise ships reported eating cucumbers while on board. Three people traveled on the same ship," according to the CDC.

No deaths have been reported, the CDC said.

Of those who fell ill, 77 percent are female and 23 precent are male, according to CDC data.

Same Grower Linked To Last Year's Outbreak

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 Company.

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

Health officials are investigating where the potentially contaminated cucumbers were distributed. Several people who fell ill ate cucumbers on cruise ships leaving ports in Florida, according to the CDC.

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