Toss It Now! Huge Recall In Iowa, Illinois & Wisconsin For Cucumbers

People in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin make not be feeling the best after eating cucumbers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are letting Iowans, Illinoisans, and Wisconsinites know to avoid whole cucumbers.

Whole cucumbers that have been grown in Florida are being recalled due to a Salmonella outbreak that officials believe to be due to the cucumbers. Infections have been reported across the country including in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

If you're enjoying your own cucumbers from your own garden, you're all good. I get our cucumbers from my mom's garden and from famers at the farmers market.

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A recent report from Food Safety News says that another cucumber grower is being linked to this outbreak according to the FDA. "Testing has confirmed that canal water used by Thomas Produce Co., which is in Boca Raton, FL, is contaminated with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Braenderup. The Food and Drug Administration has now also confirmed that Salmonella from canal water used by Bedner Growers Inc. of Boynton Beach, FL, is a match for the Salmonella that made people sick," says officials from the FDA.

More than 400 people in 31 states, primarily east of the Mississippi River, have become sick due to the Salmonella outbreak from the cucumbers. Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin aren't the only Midwest states to report illnesses. Minnesota, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, and others have reported people being infected.

Luckily for us cucumber lovers, the CDC has giving us ways to avoid getting Salmonella in the future:

• Clean: Wash your hands, utensils, and surfaces often. Rinse fruits and vegetables under running water before eating, cutting, or peeling.
• Separate: Keep food that won’t be cooked separate from raw meat, poultry, and seafood.
• Cook: Use a food thermometer to make sure you have cooked your food to a temperature high enough to kill germs.
• Chill: Refrigerate perishable food (food that goes bad) within 2 hours. If the outside temperature is hotter than 90°F, refrigerate within 1 hour. Thaw food in the refrigerator, not on the counter.

If you're wondering if you should be a number added to those with Salmonella but aren't sure, there are definitely telling signs you are infected. Johns Hopkins says Salmonella symptoms include:

• Diarrhea
• Fever
• Abdominal cramps
• Chills
• Headache
• Nausea
• Vomiting

The CDC says symptoms usually start 6 hours to 6 days after swallowing the bacteria. Johns Hopkins says most people recover without treatment after 4 to 7 days.