TRI-CITIES, Wash. – The Center for Disease Control announced a food safetly alert on a Salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers on Wednesday, resulting in a recall and 449 people reported sick in the U.S.
The CDC says testing found a strain of Salmonella Braenderup in untreated canal water used by a grower in Florida. A second grower was also identified as a source, though no products are on the market with no public risk.
Cucumbers from both growers are no longer in season and have been removed from store shelves.
Of the 449 people that have been affected, only one is in Washington and no other cases have been reported in the rest of the Pacific Northwest.
The CDC notes that the true number of sick people is likely much higher than the 449 that have been reported.
To prevent getting sick from Salmonella, the CDC says to:
Wash hands, utensils and surfaces often and rinse produce under running water before usingSeparate food that won’t be cooked from raw meat, poultry and seafoodUse a food thermometer to make sure food is cooked properly and is at a high enough temperature to kill germsRefrigerate perishable food within two hours and within one hour if the outside temperature is hotter than 90 degrees FThaw food in a refrigerator and not on a counter
For more information on the outbreak, visit the CDC website.
