Safeway Recall Over Possible Salmonella Contamination Affects Thousands Of Consumers

The recent Safeway recall affects thousands of consumers in several areas, and the recall covers unwrapped field cucumbers as well as Greek salad, vegetable trays, sushi and sandwiches, all purchased on or before September 6, 2015, CBC News reports.

Safeway, which is the second largest supermarket chain in North America, has confirmed that the affected products may be contaminated with Salmonella and they were reportedly sold at stores in several locations in Canada.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued the recall notice warning consumers of a possible salmonella contamination in field cucumbers purchased from Safeway Canada stores.

The recall affects Safeway stores in the following areas: Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. The recall also applies to field cucumbers sold in bulk that were purchased September 6, 2015 or earlier. Food Safety News released the following statement regarding the recall.

“This recall was triggered by a recall by Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce (‘A&W’) of San Diego, CA, and may be associated with an outbreak in the United States. CFIA is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. If other high-risk products are recalled, CFIA will notify the public through updated Food Recall Warnings.”

The CFIA warns that the affected products should not be consumed and if you have these products at home, you must discard or return them to the store where they were purchased. According to the CFIA, “consumers who are unsure if they have purchased affected products should check with their retailer.”

Salmonellosis, an infection caused by Salmonella bacteria, may include symptoms of short duration such as fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. The illness usually lasts only four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment.

Safeway is no stranger to recalls and the company has been involved in several product recalls in recent months. In July, Safeway voluntarily recalled three Safeway Kitchens items in cooperation with the Aspen Foods/Koch Poultry Company recall of chicken products due to possible salmonella enteritidis contamination. According to the Washington Post, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service described the recall as being a “very large frozen chicken recall,” and it involved nearly 2 million pounds of Aspen Foods products.

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