American cucumbers shipped to Ontario, and other Canadian ...

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has advised consumers about the voluntary recall of SunFed brand whole fresh American cucumbers due to potential salmonella contamination.

SunFed Produce, LLC’s press release indicates that the impacted products were shipped to Canada.

“As soon as we learned of this issue, we immediately acted to protect consumers. We are working closely with authorities and the implicated ranch to determine the possible cause,” said Craig Slate, president at SunFed, in a press release dated Nov. 27. “Here at SunFed, food safety and consumer health and wellness have been our priorities for more than 30 years. We require all of our growers to strictly comply with the FDA food safety requirements.”

The CFIA says it is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to a food recall warning, when required, for these products in Canada.

What products are being recalled?

SunFed Produce, LLC is recalling all sizes of whole fresh American cucumbers packaged in bulk cardboard containers labelled with the “SunFed” label or in a white box or black plastic crate with a sticker that provides the implicated grower’s name, “Agrotato, S.A. de C.V.”

When and where were they sold and distributed?

SunFed said the recalled cucumbers were sold between Oct. 12 and Nov. 26. The company says the cucumbers were sold by SunFed and other importers and shipped to customers located in the numerous U.S. states and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

SunFed says "the cucumbers would have reached consumers through food service and retail outlets" and may be in areas not listed in their press release.

SunFed said they initiated the recall after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration notified SunFed that the cucumbers described above were associated with reported salmonellosis illnesses between Oct. 12 and Nov. 15.

SunFed says it is contacting each of its direct buyers to advise them of the recall.

"No other products sold by or farms supplying to SunFed are implicated in this recall," SunFed said. 

What is salmonella and how sick can it make you?

SunFed explains salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems.

"Healthy persons infected with salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain," the company press release reads. "In rare circumstances, infection with salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis. Symptoms of salmonellosis usually start six hours to six days after infection and last four to seven days."

What should consumers do?

SunFed said consumers should take the following actions:

Check to see if you have recalled whole fresh American cucumbersAnyone with the recalled product in their possession should not consume, serve, use, sell, or distribute recalled products. SunFed also encourages people to clean and sanitize surfaces that could have come into contact with the recalled product to reduce cross-contamination.Recalled products should be thrown out or destroyed so they may not be consumed or returned to the point of purchase.Consumers who are unsure if they have purchased the recalled product are advised to contact their retailer.If you think you have consumed a recalled product and do not feel well, contact your health care provider.

For more information and photos, check out the SunFed's press release about the voluntary recall.