Recalled Cucumbers in Your Fridge?

April 25, 2011 -- About 1,600 cartons of Florida cucumbers have been recalled nationwide because of possible salmonella contamination.

The cucumbers were harvested on March 29. Because cucumbers generally remain edible for only 14 days after harvest, they are not likely to be in stores. But L&M Companies Inc. of Raleigh, N.C., is recalling the product in case people still have the cucumbers in their refrigerators.

The cucumbers were sent to distributors in just nine states. However, smaller distributors may have shipped the products to other states.

Customers who think they may have purchased the recalled cucumbers should contact the store where they bought the product to find out whether their cucumbers are included in the recall.

The recall was announced on Friday, April 22, when routine testing detected salmonella bacteria in cucumbers in a cooler at Four Seasons Produce of Central Florida Inc.

From March 30 to April 7, L&M distributed the cucumbers to wholesalers in New York (200 cartons), Florida (591 cartons), Illinois (139 cartons), Indiana (30 cartons), and Tennessee (15 cartons); and to one retailer with distribution centers in Mississippi (420 cartons), Nebraska (92 cartons), Texas (2 cartons), and Wyoming (101 cartons).

No cases of salmonella food poisoning have been reported from eating cucumbers. Salmonella typically causes fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and/or abdominal pain in healthy people. The infection can be life-threatening for very young or elderly people and people with compromised immune systems.