According to federal health officials, untreated water used by a Palm Beach County cucumber grower is believed to be a source of salmonella food poisoning that affected nearly 450 people across the U.S. this spring. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that this grower does not account for all the illnesses related to cucumbers that were reported from late March through early June. Salmonella was found in untreated canal water used by Bedner Growers of Boynton Beach, and it matched a strain of the bacteria that caused some of the reported illnesses in more than 30 states and Washington, D.C.
Additional types of salmonella were also detected in soil and water samples collected at the site. Bedner Growers supplied Fresh Start Produce Sales of Delray Beach, which recalled crates of cucumbers in late May after the first illnesses were reported. Bedner Growers also provided cucumbers to various places where sick individuals had reported buying or consuming the produce, according to the FDA. While the canal water was not applied to the edible parts of the cucumber plants, it was used for subsoil watering, which the owner of Bedner Growers, Steve Bedner, stated complies with federal regulations and is a common industry practice.
Initially, investigators believed there were two separate outbreaks of salmonella linked to cucumbers but combined them into one due to similarities in timing and the type of food involved. Nearly 70% of sick individuals who were interviewed reported eating cucumbers before becoming ill, according to the FDA. The investigation into this matter is ongoing. The cucumber growing and harvesting season for Bedner Growers is over, and there is no remaining product from the farm on the market, so the FDA stated that there is likely no ongoing risk to the public.