Outbreak Background – June 30, 2025 Update
Federal health officials, working with state and local authorities, have been investigating a multistate Salmonella outbreak connected to whole cucumbers.
Combined epidemiological evidence, laboratory testing, supply chain tracking, and traceback have established Bedner Growers cucumbers distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales Inc. as the source of the outbreak and related illnesses.
Multiple companies issued recalls for cucumbers and they should no longer be available for sale.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have declared the outbreak to be over.
Case Count – June 30, 2025 Update
- Cases – 69 (up from 45 previously reported)
- Hospitalizations – 22 (up from 22 previously reported)
- States – 21 (up from 18 previously reported)
- Deaths – 0
Product Details – June 30, 2025 Update
The produce should no longer be available for sale.
The implicated cucumbers were grown by Bedner Growers Inc. and supplied through Fresh Start Produce Sales Inc. during a three-week distribution period from April 29 through May 19, 2025. These conventional (non-organic) cucumbers reached various retail outlets, food service establishments, and other commercial facilities.
Consumers encountered these cucumbers in multiple settings, including cruise ships departing from Florida ports.
The cucumbers were sold through different retail channels, appearing either as individual items or in smaller packaged quantities. Product labeling may identify these varieties as “supers,” “selects,” or “plains,” depending on their size classification.
Timeline – June 30, 2025 Update
The first case was traced back to April 2, 2025. The most recent infection was traced back to May 29, 2025.
Location of Affected Individuals – June 30, 2025 Update
- Alabama, California, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, MIssissippi, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, Tennessee, Michigan – 1 to 3 sick people each state
- North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, Illinois, Ohio – 4 to 6 sick people each state
- Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania – 7 to 10 people sick each state
Demographics – May 30, 2025 Update (information has not yet been released for the June 30 update)
| Demographics | Information |
| Age (information from 45 people) | Range from 2 to 84 years oldMedian age of 50 years old |
| Sex (information from 45 people) | 76% female24% male |
| Race (information from 40 people) | 80% White20% African American/Black |
| Ethnicity (information from 39 people) | 90% non-Hispanic10% Hispanic |
State and local authorities are actively interviewing those infected about the foods they ate prior to becoming ill.
Twenty-four of the 27 interviewed to date reported eating cucumbers.
So far, eight people on cruise ships said they ate cucumbers on their cruise. Three of those people were on the same ship.
Laboratory and Investigation Findings – June 30, 2025 Update
During its investigation, the FDA obtained a sample of cucumbers from Bedner Growers, Inc., collected at a Pennsylvania distribution center. Laboratory testing identified Salmonella in this cucumber sample. Using Whole Genome Sequencing, the FDA determined the sample contained Salmonella Montevideo. This specific strain matched the Salmonella strain associated with illnesses in the outbreak.
Further analysis of the same cucumber sample from the Pennsylvania facility also identified a Salmonella Braenderup strain. This Braenderup strain matched a strain linked to some illnesses occurring in the separate 2024 outbreak involving Salmonella Africana and Salmonella Braenderup. The cucumbers implicated in this 2024 outbreak were likely grown by Bedner Growers, Inc.
Consumer and Commercial Action – June 30, 2025 Update
The CDC has asked any business with the implicated cucumbers to not sell or serve them.
Leading nationwide Salmonella law firm Ron Simon & Associates says that consumers in possession of the cucumbers, or of any cucumbers whose origin can’t be identified, should discard them immediately.
Health Risks
Salmonella is a bacterium that can cause severe gastrointestinal illness in humans. Symptoms typically include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps, appearing six hours to six days after exposure to the bacteria. While most people recover without specific treatment, the infection can be severe, especially for young children, the elderly, and individuals with weakened immune systems.
