Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Packaged Onions Sickens 73

A salmonella outbreak linked to packages of diced onions has sickened at least 73 people across 22 states, 15 of whom were treated at hospitals, public health officials said.

Gills Onions, a California-based company, voluntarily recalled packages of diced yellow onions, red onions, and onions and celery, as well as a mix of onions, celery and carrots known as mirepoix. The products had use-by dates of August 2023, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday.

The onions were sold in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington at retail sites that included Stater Bros. Markets, Bashas’ and Smart & Final stores.

Gills Onions said in a statement that it was voluntarily recalling the products out of an “abundance of caution.”

The company said it had initiated the recall after the FDA notified it that the recalled products were part of a “traceback investigation” of a salmonella outbreak, in which the agency follows the food that sick people have reported eating back to a farm or production facility.

Public health officials advised consumers to check their freezers and to not eat any recalled diced onions. Businesses should not sell or serve recalled Gills Onions products or foods made with them, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in an alert.

Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children and older adults, and in people with weakened immune systems. Symptoms, which include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, can start anywhere from six hours to six days after ingesting the bacteria, health officials said.

The CDC estimates that salmonella bacteria cause about 1.35 million infections annually in the United States, along with 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths.

Salmonella outbreaks have been linked to products including vegetables and fruit, as well as poultry and other meat. In 2021, ProSource Inc. of Idaho, recalled whole, fresh onions imported from Mexico when more than 650 people became ill after a salmonella outbreak.

A salmonella outbreak from June to October of 2020 that was linked to onions caused more than 1,600 illnesses in the United States and Canada, the FDA said. No deaths were linked to either of those outbreaks, officials said.

This article originally appeared in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/25/business/onions-salmonella-poisoning-please.html">The New York Times</a>.