FREMONT, CA – Fremont residents should check their refrigerators and pantries for onions and products made with them. A California producer has been linked to a salmonella outbreak that has infected hundreds of people in 43 states, including at least 76 in California. Only Oregon and Utah have reported more cases than the Golden State. No dead bodies were linked to the recalled onions.
According to a warning from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “People who became ill in this outbreak reported eating onions in fresh foods, including salads, sandwiches, tacos, salsas and dips.”
The onions are also used in prepared foods including macaroni salad, fajita kits, and pizzas, which attracts more memory.
The CDC urges customers to be bold in restaurants and shopping to inquire about the source of onions in production parts, and in prepared foods. If they do not know the source, skip the onions.
On August 1, Thomson International Inc. of Bakersfield volunteered red, yellow, white and sweet yellow onions for possible contamination of salmonella, according to the CDC. The affected products were shipped between May 1st and the date of recall.
At least 85 people have been hospitalized, according to the CDC.
Some of the onions were sold on shops including Walmart, Kroger, Fred Meyer, Publix, Giant Eagle, Food Lion, and HEB, the CDC said.
Onions were sold under a variety of mark 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, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
See it in full list of recalled products. Check the reminder to see up-to-date UPCs and photos of the products.
On August 5, the Food and Safety Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture issued a public health warning for products made with the recalled onions. Several companies, including Taylor Farms and Giant Eagle, have also made products back with the onions, including chicken salad, macaroni salad, fajita stir fry, pizza and dice raw onions.
See a full list of products made with the recalled onions.
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.
Signs of salmonella poisoning include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps between six hours and six days after exposure to the bacterium. 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 encourages 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.
– Written by Patch Editor Megan VerHelst with additional reporting by Bea Karnes
