Why are so many people getting sick from eating cucumbers?

[SheltieLover]

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/recall/cucumber-recall-salmonella-outbreak-people-getting-sick-rcna210723

Salmonella outbreaks linked to cucumbers have sickened hundreds of people since last year, drawing attention to the problem of contaminated irrigation water on farms.

Heat from cooking can eliminate salmonella, but when fresh produce is eaten raw, there is typically no “kill step” for bacteria.

The Food and Drug Administration has yet to explain how the cucumbers linked to the current outbreak became contaminated; the investigation is ongoing. But last year, the agency found that Bedner Growers had used untreated canal water for irrigation — and that the water was contaminated with one of the salmonella strains that had made people sick.

Cucumbers and other fresh produce may be a surprising source of salmonella, which can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps and fever, as well as more serious health problems that can turn fatal. Heat from cooking can kill the bacteria, but fruits and vegetables that are eaten raw, like cucumbers, can be unsafe once they are contaminated. That means it’s particularly important to protect fresh produce from pathogens lurking in water used for irrigation or washing.

Much more at link.

Be safe!

[SWBTATTReg]

1. Thanks for the news. Getting to the point that you want to be very careful about where you buy/process your

produce.

[SheltieLover]

2. Absolutely! I envy those who can garden!

[Diamond_Dog]

3. K&R

I’m beginning to wonder if planting your own backyard garden is the only way to obtain fresh safe produce.
Or a trusted local farm market.

It’s unbelievable to me the grower in the article actually defended using untreated canal water to water his crops.

Dousing the produce in chemicals to prevent contamination doesn’t seem too appealing either.

[SheltieLover]

7. I think backyard gardens are the answer for most.

Some if us can't for various reasons but uf you can, do it!

Surreal defending using toxic watet for crops.

[surfered]

4. Thank you. My wife eats a lot of them

[SheltieLover]

8. Yw! Not sure how you can check source, but pls try to avoid this one.

Toxic irrigation! Must be repukes.

Hey, here is an idea for tomorrow morning's Orrex post!

[sheshe2]

17. RFK Jr must have bathed in the canal. 🤮

[SheltieLover]

21. Eeeeewwwwww. Brain worms!

[sheshe2]

30. I am glad his father is not alive to see what he has become.

[SheltieLover]

31. So am I.

💔💔💔💔💔

[surfered]

19. Great idea. One of us can use eggs, the other cucumbers.

[SheltieLover]

22. I think it's about the source. I've noticed Aldi has very few recalls, Walhell has a lot

Pretty much my only choices besides Kroger near me.

[Wingus Dingus]

5. I don't merely rinse my produce, I submerge it in a giant bowl and agitate it and

change the water about four or five times and then a final rinse in running water. Although I do eat "washed and ready" salads and coleslaw mix, that's probably a bad idea, but we're lazy sometimes in my house. I hate wet salad greens. Used to have a salad spinner, probably need to buy another one.

[SheltieLover]

9. I wash stuff vigorously with Dawn dishsoap.

But some things, like lettuce, etc. Can't take this.

I like your method!

And I need to buy a salad spinner, too. Any hints on bedt features / brands?

[Wingus Dingus]

11. I had one that I bought from Walmart or Target, it worked pretty well--

It was lightweight but took up a lot of room in my cupboard and we didn't use it that often so I pitched it when we moved. Worst thing about it was finding tiny little bugs (thrips?) in the wash water after washing bagged pre-washed spinach I was preparing for a salad. I didn't know it was pre-washed spinach so I salad-spun it, and now I think about all the times I eat bugs whenever I eat ready-washed produce

[SheltieLover]

14. Eeeewwwww

Gross!

I never knowingly buy prewashed produce because of the potengial for bacteria & molds.

Thx for heads up. I think I saw a collapsable one.

[sheshe2]

18. Oxo is a great brand.

My spinner and assorted kitchen gadgets are from them. They are well made and last forever.

[SheltieLover]

20. Thx, She!

I bought a $30 side can opener from OXO a couple of yrs ago to avoid sharp lids in recycling bin.

I was very disappointed with it. It only lasted 6 mos or so before it stripped out & wouldn't work. (Then I bought a $3 wonder from Target & it's been working for a few yrs. Lol)

Thx for sharing!.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

27. There is veggie soap

Designed for veggies. I use Wegmans fruit and veggie wash. And I use that and a soft brush to clean my non leafy fruit and veggies And for the leafys of its OXO salad spinner with the press down top and button brake. I put a few drops of veggie soap in the spinner bowl and swish it put leaves in swish it around and spin it out and I do a rinse and final spin. I do not want to have food poisoning ever again.

[SheltieLover]

28. Thx, Panther!

I wish I had a Wegmzn's near me. Walhell, Aldi, or Kroger.

I'll look into the spinner you mentioned. Maybe I csn find some sort of veggie wash online.

[young_at_heart]

6. Wouldn't it be nice if someone could inspect?

Then we wouldn't have to worry about making our families sick!

[SheltieLover]

10. Yes, but safety is not a dynamic for kraznov's pootinesque agenda

[Ritabert]

12. It's usually contaminated irrigation water often downstream from a cattle operation.

I don't eat raw veggies anymore since the Arizona romaine lettuce problem from e-coli.

[SheltieLover]

15. Ty for sharing!

[Zackzzzz]

13. Does peeling the cucumber make it safer?

[SheltieLover]

16. Maybe if you scrub vigorously before peeling. Not sure.

[Ritabert]

23. Probably not if it's contaminated irrigation water

[Warpy]

24. The variety supermarkets carry is a large part of the problem

You know, those big green things they put a thick layer of wax on that contain more water than watermelon. Even when that water isn't crawling with enteric bacteria, it makes a lot of us sick gassy and retching far into the night. However, the water content improves shelf life, so unless we pay megabucks for those long, thin cukes wrapped in plastic, we are stuck without cucumbers.

It's just one more thing the food industry has ruined.

(You can still find gherkins and other pickling varieties around here but only in specialty stores and only in the fall)

[SheltieLover]

25. Ty for sharing.

Yes, the food industry is a mess!

[I_UndergroundPanther]

26. I had to go to the ER

From botulism. I was around 10 yrs old. I got so sick when I looked in the mirror my skin literally had a greenish cast to it. My cousin and I laughed that puking that much was turning me into an alien.Went to the ER a few hours after that because I got drastically worse. I got medicine anti nausea stuff I was there for 2 days. I got it from my grandmas home canned bean salad.
She threw out all the bean salad she had after that.

Salmonella is just as dangerous. Different but dangerous. Don’t fuck around with bad food. If your questioning it toss it out better safe than sick.

Now that trump killed food safety laws we are facing more contaminated food from unscrupulous farmers

[SheltieLover]

29. Omg, Panther!

I'm so sorry you got so sick! I'm really glad you recovered!

Surreal, isn't it that magat women get botulism shots to plump their lips up? Not me!!!

Yes, we all need to be really careful, esp about sources. I'm not sure how to find out which farms produce is boght from but I've noticed walhell has lots of recalls, while Aldi doesn't.

Figures, right?