A dairy company recalled more than 800,000 units of cream cheese products due to potential salmonella contamination, according to an alert sent out by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The affected cream cheese products were distributed and sold by several food retailers, including major ones including Hy Vee, Kroger, and Piggly Wiggly. Others that sold the products include Dutch Farms, Fareway, Happy Farms, Our Family, Schnuck, Essential Everyday, and Dunkin, according to the brief FDA notice.
Salmonella Symptoms
Salmonella is a bacteria that can cause vomiting, nausea, fever, diarrhea, and stomach pain. Most people recover from an infection without any treatment within a week.An infection can become more severe in infants and young children, individuals aged 65 and older, those with weakened immune systems, and people taking certain medications, including those that reduce stomach acidity.
In rare cases, salmonella can infect the blood, joints, nervous system, the brain or spinal fluid, and the urinary tract. Such complications can lead to death or hospitalization.
Other Salmonella Recalls
It comes as the CDC said that cucumbers contaminated with salmonella bacteria might be responsible for an outbreak across 25 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. that left dozens of people hospitalized.Testing detected salmonella in a cucumber distributed by Fresh Start Produce, a Florida company that last week recalled whole cucumbers shipped to certain states from May 17 to May 21, according to the CDC. Further testing is underway to see if that strain of salmonella is causing the outbreak. The produce should no longer be available in stores.
“Epidemiologic data show that cucumbers may be contaminated with salmonella and may be making people sick. Testing identified Salmonella in a cucumber collected as part of this investigation, which resulted in a recall,” the federal health agency said.
More testing is now being done, the CDC added, to see if it is the same salmonella strain that’s causing people to get sick. An investigation is currently underway, it said.
The Florida-grown recalled cucumbers were shipped to 14 states last month: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. But those cucumbers should no longer be in any stores, according to the CDC.
Consumers should not eat recalled cucumbers. People who bought cucumbers recently should check with the store where they purchased them to see if they’re part of the recall. Wash items and surfaces that may have been in contact with the produce using hot, soapy water or a dishwasher.
