Health officials are advising consumers against eating certain bagged, precut onions after they were linked to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 73 people in 22 states, including 15 who were hospitalized. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Tuesday that “out of an abundance of caution,” Gills Onions is voluntarily recalling Gills Onions branded fresh diced onions, a product that was part of the agency’s traceback investigation into the ongoing outbreak.
The recall includes packages of diced yellow onions, red onions, onions and celery and a mix of onions, celery and carrots, known as mirepoix. The products were sold at retailers including Smart & Final, Bashas Markets, and Stater Bros in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. The products were also sold to food service providers and other institutions in the U.S. and Canada.
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Although the products have use-by dates in August 2023, meaning they are past their expiration date, and are no longer available to purchase in store, the FDA said it is concerned the “recalled onions or foods with those onions as an ingredient could be in consumers’ freezers.” The agency has advised anyone who has an expired, recalled product not to eat it and to instead either discard or destroy it.
Gills Onions, an Oxnard, California company, issued the recall after being notified by the FDA that the products were part of the agency’s “traceback investigation into an ongoing Salmonella Thompson outbreak.” The recalled products were produced on the same day and on the same production lines as the implicated onions. The current outbreak has sickened at least 73 people, resulting in 15 hospitalizations. In a notice on its website, the FDA said that based on epidemiological data collected by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “14 of 19 cases with information available reported exposure to fresh diced onions before becoming ill. Additionally, based on traceback data collected by FDA, FDA determined that onions processed at Gills Onions were available at points of service where people ate prior to becoming ill.” The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state and local partners, are investigating the outbreak.
Consumption of products contaminated with salmonella can cause salmonellosis, an illness that can be serious and sometimes fatal. Symptoms of infection usually occur within 12 hours to three days after eating contaminated food and include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever. Young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of developing a more serious infection.
