The voluntary recall, announced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 1, 2020, includes red, yellow, white, and sweet yellow onions distributed by Thomson International Inc. of Bakersfield, California, from May 1, 2020, to present in the United States and Canada. Wholesalers, restaurants, and retail stores received the onions in cartons and sacks under various brand names, including Thomson Premium, TLC Thomson International, Tender Loving Care, El Competitor, Hartley’s Best, Onions 52, Majestic, Imperial Fresh, Kroger, Utah Onions, and Food Lion. If you have onions under any of those names, or if you are unsure of where they’re from, throw them out, the FDA advises. The agency also recommends washing and sanitizing any surfaces that may have come in contact with the onions or their packaging, such as countertops, refrigerator drawers, knives, and cutting boards, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “If anyone has questions, they should certainly contact the source where they purchased their onions or the local health department, as they usually have updates on the recall,” suggests Jeff Nelken, a food safety expert in Woodland Hills, California. Additionally, the CDC recommends you check where the onions are from in foods, such as salads, sandwiches, and wraps made by restaurants and grocery stores. Some individuals who have become sick in this outbreak have reported eating freshly prepared foods. RELATED: Some Metformin Batches Recalled for Potential NDMA Contamination
Nearly 400 People Have Been Sickened, With Numbers Expected to Climb
As of August 3, there were 396 reported cases, including 59 hospitalizations across 34 U.S. states, according to CDC data. There are 120 confirmed cases in Canada, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. “This is already the largest food poisoning outbreak of 2020,” says Jory D. Lange Jr., a national food safety lawyer and food safety expert in Houston, who predicts it’s likely to continue to grow. Beginning on July 21, Lange and his team started to receive calls regarding onions and salmonella. As of August 3, they’ve received more than 50 calls from people across the United States and Canada who are worried about their onions, he says. Of those people, over a dozen were sick. Lange and David Sugarman, a consumer protection attorney in Portland, Oregon, filed the first federal lawsuit in the United States on the salmonella onion outbreak. RELATED: A Detailed Guide to Garlic
Watch for Symptoms of Salmonella, Which Can Last Up to a Week
Those who get sick from salmonella usually experience diarrhea (which may be bloody), fever, and stomach cramps, within six hours to six days after infection. The symptoms, which sometimes also include nausea, vomiting, or a headache, last about four to seven days. Most people will recover from salmonella infection without antibiotics, but treatment is recommended for those with severe illness, a weakened immune system, adults older than 50 with medical problems, infants (children younger than 12 months), and adults age 65 or older. If you are experiencing symptoms of salmonella exposure and are a member of an at-risk group, contact your healthcare team. Initially, the recall only included red onions. It was then expanded to include other types of onions. “With illnesses, as of right now, red onions are the vehicle being investigated the most,” says Benjamin Chapman, PhD, a professor and food safety extension specialist at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. “The recall has expanded because other onions are in the same packaging line,” he says. Although the outbreak investigation is ongoing, Dr. Chapman suspects the contamination started in the production process and onion fields and was made worse during packaging. Onions are packaged in dry environments where salmonella and other pathogens can persist, he explains. “It’s a unique outbreak because red onions are not a food we have seen associated with salmonella in the past,” says Chapman. “I’m aware of other types of onions contaminated at restaurants in the past, but not red ones.” RELATED: A Detailed Guide to Abdominal Pain
title: “Onions Recalled Due To Potential Salmonella Contamination Fda” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-23” author: “Nancy Nealey”
The voluntary recall, announced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 1, 2020, includes red, yellow, white, and sweet yellow onions distributed by Thomson International Inc. of Bakersfield, California, from May 1, 2020, to present in the United States and Canada. Wholesalers, restaurants, and retail stores received the onions in cartons and sacks under various brand names, including Thomson Premium, TLC Thomson International, Tender Loving Care, El Competitor, Hartley’s Best, Onions 52, Majestic, Imperial Fresh, Kroger, Utah Onions, and Food Lion. If you have onions under any of those names, or if you are unsure of where they’re from, throw them out, the FDA advises. The agency also recommends washing and sanitizing any surfaces that may have come in contact with the onions or their packaging, such as countertops, refrigerator drawers, knives, and cutting boards, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “If anyone has questions, they should certainly contact the source where they purchased their onions or the local health department, as they usually have updates on the recall,” suggests Jeff Nelken, a food safety expert in Woodland Hills, California. Additionally, the CDC recommends you check where the onions are from in foods, such as salads, sandwiches, and wraps made by restaurants and grocery stores. Some individuals who have become sick in this outbreak have reported eating freshly prepared foods. RELATED: Some Metformin Batches Recalled for Potential NDMA Contamination
Nearly 400 People Have Been Sickened, With Numbers Expected to Climb
As of August 3, there were 396 reported cases, including 59 hospitalizations across 34 U.S. states, according to CDC data. There are 120 confirmed cases in Canada, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. “This is already the largest food poisoning outbreak of 2020,” says Jory D. Lange Jr., a national food safety lawyer and food safety expert in Houston, who predicts it’s likely to continue to grow. Beginning on July 21, Lange and his team started to receive calls regarding onions and salmonella. As of August 3, they’ve received more than 50 calls from people across the United States and Canada who are worried about their onions, he says. Of those people, over a dozen were sick. Lange and David Sugarman, a consumer protection attorney in Portland, Oregon, filed the first federal lawsuit in the United States on the salmonella onion outbreak. RELATED: A Detailed Guide to Garlic
Watch for Symptoms of Salmonella, Which Can Last Up to a Week
Those who get sick from salmonella usually experience diarrhea (which may be bloody), fever, and stomach cramps, within six hours to six days after infection. The symptoms, which sometimes also include nausea, vomiting, or a headache, last about four to seven days. Most people will recover from salmonella infection without antibiotics, but treatment is recommended for those with severe illness, a weakened immune system, adults older than 50 with medical problems, infants (children younger than 12 months), and adults age 65 or older. If you are experiencing symptoms of salmonella exposure and are a member of an at-risk group, contact your healthcare team. Initially, the recall only included red onions. It was then expanded to include other types of onions. “With illnesses, as of right now, red onions are the vehicle being investigated the most,” says Benjamin Chapman, PhD, a professor and food safety extension specialist at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. “The recall has expanded because other onions are in the same packaging line,” he says. Although the outbreak investigation is ongoing, Dr. Chapman suspects the contamination started in the production process and onion fields and was made worse during packaging. Onions are packaged in dry environments where salmonella and other pathogens can persist, he explains. “It’s a unique outbreak because red onions are not a food we have seen associated with salmonella in the past,” says Chapman. “I’m aware of other types of onions contaminated at restaurants in the past, but not red ones.” RELATED: A Detailed Guide to Abdominal Pain
