Cucumbers to blame for Salmonella outbreak—Again

For the second year in a row, Florida cucumbers are behind an outbreak of Salmonella infections.

And for the second year in a row, those contaminated cucumbers were grown by Bedner Growers, Inc. (Boynton Beach, FL) and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales, Inc., of Delray, Florida.

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports 26 confirmed outbreak cases of Salmonella Montevideo in 15 states. Victims range in age from 2 to 69 years.

Nine of the 26 victims have been hospitalized.

There have been no deaths.

Seven of the outbreak victims were passengers on 5 different cruise ships that departed the United States between March 30 and April 12. The ships sailed from Florida ports.

The CDC warns that the number of outbreak victims is likely much higher, as many cases are never reported.

In April 2025, as part of a follow-up inspection, the FDA collected environmental samples from Bedner Growers. One of the environmental samples yielded a strain of Salmonella Montevideo that was a genetic match to the Salmonella recovered from clinical samples from outbreak victims.

The FDA’s inspection was in response to a 2024 outbreak of Salmonella illnesses that also was traced to Bedner Growers.

The 2024 outbreak caused 551 confirmed illnesses and 155 hospitalizations. Outbreak cases were reported in 34 states and the District of Columbia.

What you need to know

Neither the producer (Bedner Growers) nor the distributor (Fresh Start Produce Sales) has yet announced a product recall.

The cucumbers were distributed to retailers, distribution centers, wholesalers, and food service distributors from April 29, 2025 to present (May 19, 2025).
Cucumbers may have been sold individually or in smaller packages, with or without a label that may not bear the same brand, product name, or best by date. For distributors, restaurants, and retailers who have purchased these cucumbers, the products were labeled as either being “supers,” “selects,” or “plains”.
Restaurants, retailers, and distributors that purchased potentially contaminated cucumbers between April 29, 2025 and May 19, 2025 should notify their customers of the potential health concern.
Consumers may be contacted by their retailers if they received cucumbers potentially grown by Bedner Growers. If you cannot tell if your cucumber was grown by Bedner Growers, throw it away. When eating out over the next week, ask if cucumbers were from Bedner Growers or Fresh Start Produce Sales, Inc.
Consumers, restaurants, and retailers who purchased or received potentially contaminated products, including wholesale products, should carefully clean and sanitize any surfaces or containers that it touched. Follow FDA’s safe handling and cleaning advice to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
Contact your healthcare provider if you think you may have symptoms of a Salmonella infection after eating potentially contaminated cucumbers.