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The FDA, CDC, and state partners investigated a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium infections linked to American/slicer cucumbers grown by Agrotato, S.A. de C.V. in Sonora, Mexico. As of January 8, 2025, 113 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella were reported from 23 states (AK, AZ, CA, CO, IA, IL, MA, MI, MT, NE, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, SD, TX, UT, WA, WI and WY). Of the 99 people for whom information was available, 28 were hospitalized. No deaths were reported. Of the 69 people interviewed, 56 (81%) reported eating or likely eating cucumbers. CDC declares the outbreak over. Epidemiologic and traceback information demonstrated that American/slicer cucumbers grown by Agrotato, S.A. de C.V. in Sonora, Mexico, were the source of illnesses in this outbreak. Several companies issued recalls for American/slicer cucumbers and products containing recalled cucumbers. The recalled product is past shelf-life and should no longer be distributed or sold in stores. FDA’s investigation is complete. @ https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-cucumbers-november-2024?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

The CORE list of outbreaks and adverse events includes four activities. The outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses (ref #1280) linked to romaine lettuce has ended. No farm was identified in the outbreak. The FDA’s investigation of the outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses (ref #1269) are closed. The outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium illnesses (ref #1277) linked to American/slicer-type imported cucumber the outbreak is over, and the FDA’s investigation is closed. The Advisory was updated. The total number of illnesses is 113, with 28 hospitalizations and no deaths. States with illnesses include AK, AZ, CA, CO, IA, IL, MA, MI, MT, NE, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, SD, TX, UT, WA, WI and WY @ https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-cucumbers-november-2024

The J. Food Protection published an article about the cost estimates of overly broad recalls following an FDA advisory. Such recall occurs when the source of an outbreak is originally misidentified or cannot be promptly identified. In this situation, an entire product category might be recalled (e.g., romaine lettuce), such that the recall extends to uncontaminated product lots, imposing spillover costs on entities that would otherwise be unaffected. There are very few published studies that estimate the potential magnitude of these spillover costs. The study uses a formal structured elicitation methodology to develop expert estimates of the spillover costs firms typically incur in responding to an overly broad recall following an FDA product advisory. The study finds that the range of costs varies widely by type and size of the firm, with producers incurring median costs per recall ranging from $3.0 million to $72.7 million per firm, shippers/distributors from $0.1 million to $2.3 million per firm, restaurants from $0.04 million to $1.1 million per firm, and non-restaurant retailers from $0.1 million to $3.1 million per firm. The results of this study can help inform food policy discussions geared toward assessing the benefits of traceability in terms of avoided costs of overly broad food recalls. The industry is often reluctant to provide estimates on the costs of recalls. This study fills that void by estimating the per-firm costs incurred by food supply chain entities due to overly broad recalls. @ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0362028X2500002X?dgcid=raven_sd_aip_email

The FDA reported that Blue Ridge Beef (STATESVILLE, NC) recalled 1,350 lbs. of their 2 1b log Kitten Mix Lot N25-0716 UPC 8542980013436 due to a contamination of Salmonella. Due to a customer complaint of animal illness, a sample of the product was collected on 12/12/2024 by the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture Resources and tested by the Massachusetts State Public Health Laboratory. The sampled product tested positive for Salmonella. On 01/03/2025, Blue Ridge was notified by the FDA that the product tested positive for Salmonella. The products were distributed between July 18, 2024 to July 26, 2024. The product is packaged in clear plastic and sold primarily in retail stores located in the States of Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York. @ https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/blue-ridge-beef-recalls-blue-ridge-beef-kitten-mix-due-salmonella-contamination