An outbreak of Salmonella Poona in the US that has left one person dead and affected more than 300 others across 27 states has been linked to cucumbers imported from Mexico according to an alert posted by the New Mexico Department of Health.
The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said in addition to the death reported in California, another 53 people had been hospitalised since the outbreak started in early July.
On Friday, San Diego-based distributor Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce, which supplies several local restaurant chains, announced that it was voluntarily recalling cucumbers imported from Mexico.
The cucumbers implicated in the current outbreak are the thick-skinned, unwrapped garden variety available in grocery stores and restaurants throughout the US.
The California health department said the recalled cucumbers could be identified in distribution channels as ‘Limited Edition’ brand pole grown cucumbers whose labelling indicates that they were grown and packed by Rancho Don Juanito. They were distributed between 1 August and 3 September.
