Onion Recall: Salmonella Outbreak Expands to Hundreds of People Sick in 43 States


An outbreak of salmonella caused by onions is spreading and has infected 640 people from 43 states including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. At least 85 of them are hospitalized, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

“If you do not know where your onions come from, do not eat, serve or sell them as food prepared with them,” the CDC told Friday restaurants.

For consumers, they said, “If you can not tell where your onions come from, then do not eat them. Throw them away.”

The CDC said no deaths were reported as a result of the outbreak.

Infections have been reported in several states including Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North -Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

As of Saturday, the CDC reported nine people were infected in Pennsylvania, two in New Jersey, and one in Delaware.

The Food and Drug Administration has warned consumers not to eat onions from Thomson International Inc. The advice applies to red, white, yellow and sweet onions.

RELATED: Thomson International complete list of recalled products

Some of the onions were sold in stores including Walmart, Kroger, Fred Meyer, Publix, Giant Eagle, Food Lion, and HEB, among a variety of brands, the CDC said.

In addition to Thomson International, Inc., other brands that may be on labels include: Thomson Premium, TLC Thomson International, Tender Loving Care, El Competitor, Hartley’s Best, Onions 52, Majestic, Imperial Fresh, Kroger, Utah Onions, and Food Lion.

RELATED: FDA: Red onions linked to salmonella outbreak

Several companies have made onions and food made with recalled onions such as chicken salad, macaroni salad, fajita stir-fry, pizza and dice raw onions, including Taylor Farms and Giant Eagle.

The CDC said people should check their homes for recalled products and throw away the affected items.

“Do not eat them or try to cook the onions or other food to make it safe,” the CDC said.

When ordering a restaurant or shopping for food, the CDC said that people should check with the restaurant or the groceries to make sure they are not offering or selling uncooked onions from Thomson International, Inc., or any food prepared with recalled onions, including foods like salads, sandwiches, tacos, salsas and dips.

“If they do not know where their onions come from, do not buy the product,” the CDC said.

Timeline recall

The recall began on August 1 when Thomson International, Inc., voluntarily recalled red, yellow, white and sweet yellow onions because they could be contaminated with salmonella.

Giant Eagle recalls onions and food made with recycled onions sold in stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana and Maryland.

Publix recalls onions sold in bulk in stores in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

On August 5, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) issued a public health warning for products made with recalled onions.

On August 6, Taylor Farms released a reminder of food made from recalled onions.

The CDC said there may be additional calls related to this outbreak.

A full list of affected states is on the CDC’s website.

Signs of Salmonella

Signs of salmonella infection include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps between six hours and six days after exposure to the bacteria. Those under 5, those over 65 and people with a weakened immune system are more likely to have serious illness.

In some cases, the infection may spread from the intestine to other parts of the body and require hospitalization.

The CDC asks anyone with symptoms of salmonella poisoning to contact a doctor, write down what they ate the week before they became ill, report the disease to the health department, and communicate with health researchers about their illness.

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CNN contributed to this report.

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