The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a news release that the agencies are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo infections linked to cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers in Boynton Beach, Fla., and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales of Delray, Fla.
As part of a follow-up inspection in April 2025, the FDA said investigators collected an environmental sample from Bedner Growers that was positive for Salmonella and matched recent clinical samples from ill people, by whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis. The recent follow-up inspection was in response to the 2024 Salmonella Africana and Salmonella Braenderup outbreaks linked to cucumbers grown at Bedner Growers.
FDA said its traceback investigation has identified Bedner Growers as the common grower of cucumbers in this current outbreak.
The agencies say cucumbers involved in this investigation were grown by Bedner Growers and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales to retailers, distribution centers, wholesalers and foodservice distributors from April 29, to present (May 19). Cucumbers distributed before this time frame should be past shelf life and should no longer be available on the market.
The FDA said the cucumbers could have been sold individually or in smaller packages, with or without a label that might 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.
The FDA said Bedner Growers has also recalled its cucumbers sold at Bedner’s Farm Fresh Market between April 29 and May 14. Belder’s Farm Fresh Markets sold the cucumbers in Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, and West Palm Beach, Fla. The FDA said cucumbers currently for sale at Bedner’s Farm Fresh Markets are not part of the recall as those available were not grown by Bedner Growers.
As of May 16, the agencies say 26 people have been infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Montevideo in 15 states. Of the 23 people for whom information is available, nine have been hospitalized. Of the 13 interviewed, 11 (85%) reported eating cucumbers.
