Red, white, yellow and sweet yellow onions with different brands have been recalled nationwide due to possible contamination of salmonella. There have been hundreds of reported cases and multiple hospitalizations, including some in North Carolina.
Included in this reminder are the brands:
- Food Lion
- Thomson Premium
- TLC Thomson International
- Tender loving care
- Electric competitor
- Hartley’s Best
- Onions 52
- Majestic, imperial fresh
- Kroger
- Utah Uions
- Del Monte Fresh Produce, NA, Inc. onions sold at Publix
Update 8-8-20: Additional brands included in the redesign include Del Monte Fresh Produce, NA, Inc. onions sold at Publix, including stores in North Carolina See the details on the Publix website.
Food Lion en Walmart have also commented on these onions.
If you have any onions from these brand names, or you can not tell if you are Thomson International onions, you should “immediately wipe these products and disinfect all surfaces that come in contact with the onions,” according to the reminder.
You must also be able to return all returned onions with receipt to the place of purchase for a refund.
At the time of recall, there were 396 total illnesses reported including 3 in North Carolina and a total of 59 hospitalizations.
De return on the FDA website shows:
Thomson International Inc. of Bakersfield, California reminds red, yellow, white and sweet yellow onions back from May 1, 2020 by the present. The onions are recalled because they have the potential to become infected with Salmonella, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, vulnerable as well as older people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy people infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which can be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism entering the bloodstream and producing more serious diseases such as arterial infections (ie infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
Onions were distributed to wholesalers, restaurants and retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.
The onions were divided into 5 lbs. cardboard. 10 lbs. cardboard. 25 lbs. cardboard. 40 lbs. carton, 50 lbs. cardboard. bulk, 2-lb.-mesh bags, and 3 lb.-mesh bags, 5 lb.-mesh bags, 10 lb. mesh bag 25 lbs. mesh bag, 50 lbs. mesh bags under the brands Thomson Premium, TLC Thomson International, Tender Loving Care, El Competitor, Hartley’s Best, Onions 52, Majestic, Imperial Fresh, Kroger, Utah Onions and Food Lion.
Consumers, restaurants and retailers may not eat, sell or serve red, white, yellow or sweet onions from Thomson International, Inc. or products containing such onions. If you can not tell if your onion from Thomson International Inc. is, if your food product contains such onions, you should not eat, sell or serve them, and you should throw them out.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, along with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Newport infections that could be linked to these onions, so Thomson International is recalling the onions from an abundance of caution. As of now, no specific source of contamination or contaminated transmission has been identified, and FDA is also investigating other possible sources of contamination and has not yet reached a definitive conclusion.
396 total diseases have been reported so far including 59 hospitalizations. States with cases include: AK (6), AZ (14), CA (49), CO (10), FL (3), ID (5), IL (10), IN (2), IA (15), KS (1), KY (1), ME (4), MD (1), MI (23), MN (10), MO (6), MT (33), NE (5), NV (5), NY (4), NC (3), ND (5), OH (7), OR (71), PA (2), SC (1), SD (11), TN (5), TX (1), UT (61), VA (4), WA (2), WI (5), and WY (11).
Consumers who have red, yellow, white and sweet yellow onions among the above brands, or who cannot tell if their onions are from Thomson International, should immediately smudge these products and disinfect all surfaces that come in contact with the onions. Consumers with questions can contact the company by calling Kim Earnshaw at 661-845-1111
See the full reminder at fda.gov.
.
