Here’s what you should know about the cucumber recall

Fresh Start Produce Sales Inc. is recalling whole cucumbers shipped to 14 states May 17-21 because they may have been contaminated with salmonella.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a to perceive of the Florida-based company on Saturday. The company said in the news release that the recalled cucumbers were shipped in bulk boxes to retail distribution centers, wholesalers and food service distributions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

The recalled cucumbers are dark green, with a diameter of about 1.5 to 2 inches and a length of about 5 to 9 inches, according to Fresh Start Produce Sales. Neither mini cucumbers nor English cucumbers are included in the recall.

“The recall was initiated after the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture informed the company that a sample of the product tested positive for the bacteria,” Fresh Start Produce Sales said in the press release. “The FDA is conducting whole genome sequencing to determine whether this sample is related to an ongoing investigation into a Salmonella outbreak.”

See more information: You’re not imagining it: food recalls are becoming more common. Here’s why

Salmonella is a bacteria that can cause serious and even fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and individuals with weakened immune systems, according to the company. Healthy people infected with the bacteria can develop fever, diarrhea – which can be bloody – nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

In rare situations, salmonella can enter the bloodstream and cause more serious illnesses, such as infected aneurysms, endocarditis and arthritis, according to Fresh Start Produce Sales.

The company said the recalled cucumbers are unlikely to be on the market. Still, the company advised anyone with recalled cucumbers not to eat them, but to destroy them, throw them away, or return them to the place where they purchased them for a refund. The company also suggested that people check with their retailer to see if the recalled cucumbers were sold there.

Fresh Start Produces Sales has already notified customers who received the recalled cucumbers directly from the company and asked them to remove them from the shelves.

Customers with questions about the recall can contact Fresh Start Produce Sales at 1-888-364-2993.