Does it feel like there have been lots of cucumber recalls lately?
You are not wrong. The Food and Drug Administration has classified 137 potential salmonella recall reports for food products containing cucumbers in 2025, more than in any other year with available data. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked cucumbers to a current salmonella outbreak.
Salmonella bacteria are a major cause of foodborne illness, infecting 1.35 million people and killing 420 people each year.
Since 2012, the Food and Drug Administration has classified over 3,200 salmonella food reports, according to federal data. On average, a salmonella recall lasts nearly a year, a USA TODAY review of the FDA data found. Currently, there are 217 salmonella recall reports ongoing.
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The FDA has the authority to mandate a recall, but about 99% are voluntarily issued by the companies that make the products.
After a recall is initiated, the agency classifies the health hazard presented by the product from Class I (a reasonable probability that the product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death) to Class III (the product is not likely to cause adverse health consequences).
About 44% of food recall reports have been classified as Class I. On the other hand, 80% of salmonella food reports are classified as Class I.
Most people get infected with salmonella by eating contaminated food like raw or undercooked meat, poultry, eggs, raw or unpasteurized milk and other dairy products, and produce. According to the CDC, 1 in 25 packages of chicken in the grocery store is contaminated with salmonella.
Department of Human and Health Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. is among the many promoting raw milk, but experts caution against it.
“We have people whose families have had children and parents and others sickened after drinking raw milk,” said Sandra Eskin, CEO at the nonprofit Stop Foodborne Illness. “It has salmonella in it, it can have E. coli, and it can have any number of pathogens. That’s why they invented pasteurization.”
Warmer weather can also create ideal conditions for the bacteria to grow, so it’s recommended to refrigerate perishable foods.
Other sources of salmonella include contaminated water and the handling of animals.
Symptoms start within six hours to six days from the time of exposure and include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain. Most people recover within 4 to 7 days without treatment, but some cases lead to hospitalization and death.
Since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, there have been severe cuts and the federal health services workforce is expected to drop from 82,000 to 62,000, USA TODAY previously reported.
Trump argued the cuts are a way to save taxpayers’ money, but experts say allocating resources towards food safety is critical.
An FDA spokesperson told USA TODAY in an email statement that the agency prioritizes food safety and is committed to working with all stakeholders.
“The layoffs relate to administrative staff positions in the FDA. There has been no impact to operational investigators conducting food safety inspections,” the FDA spokesperson said.
Over a decade ago, when annual salmonella numbers were estimated to be lower, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that foodborne illness cost the country $3.7 billion per year, most of which was attributed to premature deaths.
Eskin, who previously worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture overseeing food safety and inspections, said recalls are essential for public health.
“A recall is the last line of defense that you and I have to prevent getting sick,” Eskin said, “if we’re going to a restaurant, or more importantly, going to the grocery store.”
Dr. Susan Kansagra, chief medical officer at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, said in an email statement that federal funds support a wide range of state-level activities related to foodborne illness, like laboratory testing, case reporting, and guiding providers and the public on prevention and treatment.
“Loss of funding and staffing decreases our national capacity to do these activities and therefore quickly detect and respond to foodborne illness,” Kansagra said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: After flood of cucumber recalls, you should check your fridge
