SunFed pickles and Costco eggs recalled due to possible salmonella contamination: NPR

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration building can be seen behind the FDA logos at a bus stop on the agency’s campus in Silver Spring, Maryland, in 2018. Cucumbers shipped to the United States and Canada and organic eggs sold at 25 Costco stores in five southern U.S. states were recalled this week due to possible salmonella contamination.

Jacquelyn Martin/AP

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Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Cucumbers shipped to the United States and Canada, as well as organic eggs sold at 25 Costco stores in five southern U.S. states, were recalled this week because of possible salmonella contamination.

The cucumber outbreak sickened 68 people in 19 states, including 18 hospitalized, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. Nobody died. Products grown by Agrotato SA in Sonora, Mexico, could be the culprit, the agency said.

A recall announced Thursday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was linked to the outbreak. Arizona-based SunFed Produce has recalled cucumbers sold between Oct. 12 and Nov. 26, the FDA said.

The recall came after the FDA told SunFed that related illnesses were reported between October 12 and November 15. People who purchased pickles during the window should check with the store where they purchased them to see if the product is part of the retrieve.

The egg recall affected nearly 11,000 cartons of 24 organic eggs sold under Costco’s Kirkland Signature brand that hit shelves in Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee beginning Nov. 22, according to a statement Wednesday Announcement published on the company’s FDA website shows.

No illnesses were immediately reported. Handsome Brook Farms said the cartons contained eggs that were “not intended for retail distribution.” Buyers should check that their egg cartons have Julian code 327 printed on the side and an expiration date of January 5, 2025. If the eggs are recalled, throw them away or return them to the store for a refund.

Customers who have had any of the recalled foods should clean items and surfaces that may have come into contact with the food with hot, soapy water or in the dishwasher.

Salmonella can cause symptoms that begin six hours to six days after ingesting the bacteria and include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. Most people recover within a week without treatment, but young children, people over 65 and people with weakened immune systems can become seriously ill.

Earlier this summer, a separate salmonella outbreak in cucumbers in the United States sickened 450 people