Target is sending out automated warnings to consumers weeks after their purchases of recalled items.
A voicemail left by the company to one such buyer – obtained by DailyMail.com – offered a disclaimer about salmonella poisoning on Wednesday.
The person who received the call, who had bought a single cucumber, purchased the product way back in November, receiving it on the 11th.
Then, on Saturday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced an initial wave of cucumber recalls from SunFed Produce – one that widened the following Monday when the agency said those from Baloian Farms were also affected.
Both companies receive cucumbers from the same Mexican supplier Agrotato, S.A. de CV, with Baloian saying it initiated its recall after learning Sunfed was recalling fruit received from the supplier.
Cucumbers from both firms are sold in 31 states across the country, with the FDA this week warning the cucumbers would have reached consumers through food service and retail outlets that carry them – Target included.
The agency further said states aside from the 31 – which include New York, California, and Texas – could have been affected.
As of November 26, a total of 68 people infected with salmonella have been reported from 19 states, the FDA confirmed. Of those interviewed, 82 percent had said they ate recalled cucumbers. Illnesses were reported between October 12 and November 15, officials said.
Target is sending out automated warnings to consumers weeks after their purchases of recalled items. A voicemail left by the company to one such buyer – obtained by DailyMail.com – offered a disclaimer about salmonella poisoning on Wednesday
The person who received the call, who had bought a single cucumber, purchased the product way back in November, receiving it November 11
‘Hi, this an important, recorded product recall message from Target,’ the automated message left by the big-box firm begins.
‘A recall was announced for select varieties of cucumbers due to the potential of being contaminated with salmonella.
‘Our records indicate that someone with this number purchased an impacted variety of cucumbers,’ it continues, airing the serious warning with a robotic, disembodied voice.
‘Consumers should immediately stop using the products and check Target.com for impacted purchase dates.
‘If you have products purchased within the impacted timeframe, please contact us at Target.com/contactus for next steps.’
The consumer, in this case, bought the item online from a Target in New York, and asked not to be named.
The person did not recall ever feeling sick after ingesting the item – as at least 18 others have been hospitalized, the FDA has said.
Meanwhile, no deaths have been reported as an E. coli outbreak last month at California-based Grimway Farms also led to a recall of carrots also carried at Target.
Then, on Saturday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced an initial wave of cucumber recalls from SunFed Produce – one that widened the following Monday when the agency said those from Baloian Farms were also affected
Both companies receive cucumbers from the same Mexican supplier Agrotato, S.A. de CV, with Baloian saying it initiated its recalled after learning Sunfed was recalling fruit received from the supplier
Meanwhile, no deaths have been reported as an E. coli outbreak last month at California-based Grimway Farms also led to a recall of carrots also carried at Target
As of late last month, the CDC had linked 39 cases of the deadly bacteria to the recalled carrots across 18 states, including 15 hospitalizations.
Salmonella, meanwhile, can also cause serious and even fatal infections – particularly in young children, the frail or the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems.
Those affected typically experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting, and often abdominal pain as well.
Symptoms typically start somewhere between six hours and six days after ingestion, before persisting for at least four days.
Those who have purchased affected items are advised to not only throw them away, but sanitize any surfaces they may have touched.
