07/23/2025 / By Olivia Cook
Nearly 3,000 pounds (15 tons) of cucumbers were recalled recently – not because someone got sick – but because someone might. On July 8, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) slapped the produce with its highest-level health hazard alert: a Class I recall.
The cucumbers, shipped by Fuentes Farms in Texas, were pulled from shelves after the FDA found a batch contaminated with Salmonella, a deadly bacterium. It can cause food poisoning and even death if the infection spreads to the bloodstream or causes severe dehydration. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps.
Back in May, an outbreak tied to cucumbers from Bedner Growers Inc. made at least 69 people across 21 states sick. Just a year earlier, an even bigger outbreak swept the country. In June 2024, the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) linked cucumbers from Bedner Growers and Thomas Produce Company to 551 illnesses across 34 states and 149 hospitalizations.
Each year, Salmonella infects an estimated 1.35 million Americans, sending more than 26,000 to the hospital and claiming over 400 lives, according to the CDC. While raw meat often takes the blame, fresh produce is a frequent culprit – tomatoes (May 2025), cantaloupes (November 2023), onions (October 2023) and peaches (2020) and other various fresh product items. (Related: SALMONELLA outbreak in various states prompts RECALL of diced onion products.)
Why do cucumbers keep making people sick? At first glance, cucumbers seem harmless, healthy even: They’re low-calorie, hydrating and served raw more often than not. But therein lies the problem.
Because they’re rarely cooked, any bacteria present on the surface go straight into your mouth. Those bacteria might come from unsanitary water used to irrigate the fields, soil contaminated with animal waste or poorly cleaned processing equipment. In the 2024 multistate outbreak, canal water and infected soil were the smoking guns. In this week’s Fuentes Farms recall, the cucumbers ended up without adequate traceability, with some even sold at flea markets with zero labeling.
Here’s where it gets frustrating. We’ve been here before and we keep ending back here, for the same reasons:
Here’s how to stay safe:
Different produce needs different cleaning. Here’s how to do it right – no expensive sprays or gimmicks needed:
You don’t have to be a “health nut” or “label reader” to care about this. Whether you’re buying bulk produce for your restaurant, picking up dinner ingredients for your family or choosing “healthy” snacks for your kids’ lunches, you deserve to know your food is safe.
The idea that a cucumber could quietly send someone to the hospital should be a wake-up call for all. From government regulators to farmers to consumers, it’s time people treat food safety like the life-or-death issue it is.
Until then, Salmonella-laced cucumbers (and others) will keep sneaking back into our kitchens and our bodies.
Watch this video about Salmonella food poisoning.
This video is from the Daily Videos channel on Brighteon.com.
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Tagged Under:
Bedner Growers, cucumbers, dangerous, FDA Class I recall, food collapse, food safety, food safety tips, food science, food supply, foodborne illness, Fuentes Farms, grocery, infections, outbreak, products, Salmonella, Thomas Produce Company
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