Protecting families from contaminated food and water
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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Outbreaks & Recalls,Salmonella on June 20, 2025
There is another cucumber recall!
Consumers and picklers in the state of Texas should check their produce, as these cucumbers may be contaminated with a harmful germ called Salmonella.
Cucumbers have been in the news lately, with a Salmonella outbreak linked to Bedner Growers that has sickened 45 people. But this situation is entirely separate.
Here’s what we know about this cucumber recall in Texas.
Fuentes Farms of McAllen, Texas issued a recall for 71 boxes of fresh cucumbers due to potential contamination with Salmonella.
The problem was discovered during routine sampling activities performed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This sampling detected Salmonella bacteria in finished products of fresh cucumber boxes.
Once discovered, Fuentes Farms ceased the production and distribution of these cucumbers and initiated a recall.
The company is cooperating with the FDA and working on their own investigation to understand what caused the Salmonella contamination.
These 71 recalled boxes of cucumbers were grown in Texas and distributed by local vendors between May 31, 2025 and June 3, 2025. These products were sold at Flea Markets in the McAllen and Alamo areas.
A single lot has been identified in this recall.
Affected product can be identified as packaged in 40 Lb, 1-1/9 bushel boxes. The farm name, “Fuentes Farm” is on the label, along with the affected lot number 357. The boxes have a black background and the word “Vegetables written in red.” There are cucumbers and red bell peppers depicted on the box. The box also includes “MX Produce of Mexico” on it, which may be misleading to consumers.
Recalled Cucumbers:
Fuentes Farms
Lot number 357
Purchased Between May 31, 2025 and June 3, 2025
Products may have been removed from these boxes by resellers. Anyone who sold cucumbers from Fuentes Farms Lot number 357 outside of this packaging should notify consumers and sanitize anything that may have come in contact with them.
The recall notice indicates that “no illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this recall and the recall is not part of any current food outbreaks.”
But if you are a regular reader of our Make Food Safe Blog, or more importantly, our Outbreaks and Recalls News, you know that it can take several weeks between a person consuming food contaminated with a foodborne germ and that illness being linked to a larger foodborne outbreak.
Laboratory tests take time. Reporting activities take time.
Additionally, most people only experience mild illness and do not seek medical care. Deciding instead to ride out the symptoms until they pass.
Those people are never tested for Salmonella infection and are not reported to the FoodNet foodborne illness surveillance database. Even if they did, unfortunately Texas does not have FoodNet personnel stationed in their State Laboratory, so the information may take a bit longer to be connected to a cluster of illnesses or active outbreak.
Reporting your illness, even if it is mild, can help prevent others from becoming sick.
Foodborne illness investigators only know what they know. If sick people do not report their illnesses, only those who develop complications, become sick enough to seek medical treatment, or require hospitalization get tested.
This could cause a significant delay in initiating a traceback investigation to determine the source of the outbreak. The faster the source is discovered, the faster a recall can be announced, the faster the product is taken out of the food supply. Fewer people get sick.
But how do you know if you are sick with Salmonella?
Salmonella infections often begin with intestinal illness. Symptoms may be mild for some, but more serious in others. Especially those in high-risk groups.
These people are more likely to become sick if they consume something contaminated with Salmonella. They are also more likely to experience serious illness or severe complications if they become sick.
Groups at greater risk of Salmonella infection:
Most people begin feeling sick anywhere from six hours to six days after exposure.
Common Salmonella symptoms include:
Most people experience a mild illness that will pass quickly. These people generally feel better within a week (four to seven days).
Others, unfortunately, may experience severe illness lasting weeks after initial symptoms. In some cases, months. Worse, yet. Some may never recover and die from their illness.
Most of the time Salmonella bacteria are limited to the intestinal tract. However, in some cases, the bacteria can breach the intestinal wall and enter the bloodstream capillaries and veins found there. When this happens, bacteria may infect the urinary tract, blood, bones, joints, and even the nervous system, causing serious complications.
Common Salmonella complications include reactive arthritis, arterial infections, endocarditis (an infection in the heart), irritable bowel syndrome, and bacteremia that can affect other parts of the body.
If you may have been exposed to Salmonella from recalled cucumbers (or even those not yet recalled), there are a few things that you can do to help your situation.
As previously mentioned, seeking medical attention if you are very sick or reporting your illness even if your symptoms are mild can help others avoid worse fates.
Even if you are not sick enough to need medical care, it is still a good idea to report your illness to your local health department. You can find their number on the health department website, or you can report your illness directly to the FDA’s MedWatch Online Voluntary Reporting Form.
The cucumber contamination investigation is still ongoing. Your data can help link others involved in a potential outbreak or expand the products subject to recall.
If you have become seriously ill due to Salmonella in cucumbers, it is a good idea to get advice from an experienced Salmonella Lawyer. A Salmonella lawyer can help answer questions you may have and even some that you have not thought about. They can help you get the resources you need to recover and help hold accountable those responsible for your illness.
If you have been impacted by this outbreak of Salmonella from cucumbers you may have a legal case. If you wish to make a claim, The Lange Law Firm, PLLC has a Salmonella lawyer that can help.
The Lange Law Firm, PLLC has successfully represented cases just like yours and won millions of dollars in food poisoning and products liabilities lawsuits.
Reach out by calling (833) 330-3663 or send us an email for a free, no obligation consultation.
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)