A slice of cucumber is pictured in this illustration photo taken in Berlin June 9, 2011. German ministers on Wednesday defended their response to the E.coli outbreak that has killed 27 people and signalled possible changes in the way the country handles health crises in the future. Although the hunt for the source of infection now focuses on German-grown bean sprouts, cucumbers were back in the spotlight after traces of the E.coli strain were found in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt on cucumbers in a family's rubbish. REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski (GERMANY - Tags: FOOD HEALTH)