Jory Lange of the Texas-based firm The Lange Law Firm is helping those sickened by onions in this massive multi-state Salmonella Onions Outbreak linked to onions from Mexico. Here is everything we know about this latest Salmonella Onions Outbreak:
The Salmonella Onions Outbreak
As of October 18, 2021, the CDC announced 652 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Oranienburg have been reported from 37 states.
- Illnesses: 652 (60 new)
- Hospitalizations: 129 (13 new)
- Deaths: 0
- States: 37 (1 new)
- Recall: Yes
- Investigation status: Active
Illnesses started on dates ranging from May 31, 2021, to September 30, 2021.
Sick people range in age from less than 1 year to 97 years, with a median age of 37, and 57% are female. Of 417 people with information available, 129 (31%) have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
The true number of sick people in an outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.
In interviews, ill people answered questions about the foods they ate and other exposures in the week before they became ill. Of 193 people with information, 145 (75%) reported eating or maybe eating raw onions or dishes likely containing raw onion before they became sick. Several ill people reported eating at the same restaurants, indicating they may be part of illness clusters. These clusters can provide clues about what food item may be making people sick. If several unrelated ill people ate or shopped at the same location of a restaurant or store within several days of each other, it suggests that the contaminated food item was served or sold there. States identified 20 illness clusters at restaurants where onions were served. Information from these clusters shows that many ill people ate raw onions.
Salmonella Onions Outbreak Source
The Food and Drug Administration said that an investigation had identified ProSource Inc., of Hailey, Idaho, as a source of potentially contaminated whole, fresh onions imported from the State of Chihuahua, Mexico.
To date, this outbreak has resulted in 652 illnesses in consumers across the U.S. The illnesses thus far appear to be associated with restaurants and food service locations. The FDA is advising restaurants, retailers and consumers to not eat, sell, or serve red, yellow, and white onions supplied by ProSource Inc. that were imported from the State of Chihuahua, Mexico from July 1 through August 27, or products containing these onions. ProSource Inc. has agreed to voluntarily recall such onions.
The FDA’s traceback investigation identified Keeler Family Farms as an additional common supplier of onions from the State of Chihuahua, Mexico for many of the restaurants where sick people reported eating. When the FDA met with the firm, the firm agreed to voluntarily recall all red, yellow, and white onions imported from the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, from July 1, 2021, through August 31, 2021.
Salmonella Onions Outbreak Recall
On October 20, 2021, ProSource Produce LLC of Hailey, Idaho voluntarily recalled whole raw onions (red, yellow, and white) shipped from Chihuahua, Mexico, between July 1, 2021, and August 31, 2021, because they may have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
The products are whole raw onions (red, yellow, and white) that were shipped to the United States from Chihuahua, Mexico, between July 1, 2021, and August 31, 2021, and were distributed in AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, and WI, as well as Ontario and Quebec, Canada. No fresh onions that originated in Chihuahua, MX have been shipped by the company since the end of August 2021.
The onions were distributed to wholesalers, broadline foodservice customers, and retail stores in 50 lb., 25 lb., 10 lb., 5 lb., 3 lb., and 2 lb. mesh sacks; and 50 lb., 40 lb., 25 lb., 10 lb., and 5 lb. cartons, by the following distributors and/or under the following brands:
Big Bull, Peak Fresh Produce, Sierra Madre, Markon First Crop., Markon Essentials, Rio Blue, ProSource, Rio Valley, and Sysco Imperial. Representative examples of product labels are below.
