Onions-Salmonella Outbreak Now Tied to 892 Illnesses

As of Nov. 12, the outbreak spans 138 hospitalizations across 38 US states and Puerto Rico.

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The FDA, along with CDC and state and local partners, is investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Oranienburg infections linked to whole, fresh onions. FDA’s traceback investigation is ongoing but has identified ProSource Produce, LLC (also known as ProSource Inc.) of Hailey, Idaho, and Keeler Family Farms of Deming, New Mexico, as suppliers of potentially contaminated whole, fresh onions imported from the State of Chihuahua, Mexico.

As of November 12, 2021, CDC reports that there are 892 illnesses in 38 states and Puerto Rico. 

FDA’s investigation is ongoing to determine the source of contamination and if additional products or firms are linked to illness. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.

Recommendation 

Advice for restaurants, retailers and consumers: Do not eat, sell or serve recalled onions, or products containing recalled onions. All recalled onions were supplied by ProSource Produce LLC and Keeler Family Farms and imported from the State of Chihuahua, Mexico between July 1, 2021 and August 31, 2021. FDA has posted a list of additional recalls being conducted by companies that may have received recalled onions from ProSource Produce LLC and Keeler Family Farms. This list includes recalls conducted by companies that further processed the onions by using them as ingredients in new products or by repackaging them. If you cannot tell if your onions were recalled, do not eat, sell, or serve them and throw them out.

Onions may last up to three months if stored in a cool, dry place. Restaurants, retailers, and consumers who suspect having purchased such onions may still have them in storage and should not eat, sell, or serve them, and should throw them out.

FDA recommends that anyone who received or suspects having received recalled onions use extra vigilance in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces and containers that may have come in contact with these products to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. This includes cleaning and sanitizing cutting boards, slicers, countertops, refrigerators, displays, and storage bins.

Suppliers and Distributors: Do not use, ship, or sell recalled onions. Suppliers and distributors that repackage raw onions should clean, rinse, sanitize, and air dry any surfaces and storage areas that may have come into contact with these products.  Farms and firms within the supply chain of recalled onions, including shippers, distribution centers, retailers and restaurants, should immediately clean and sanitize all food contact surfaces and non-food contact surfaces of equipment and tools that the onions may have touched or that may have become contaminated, including refrigerators, counter tops, storage shelving, trucks or other transportation carriers, etc. If there has been potential cross contamination or mixing of onions from other sources with these products, suppliers and distributors should discard all comingled and potentially cross-contaminated product.

Recall Information

FDA published a list of retail establishments that received product recalled by Keeler Family Farms and a list of retail establishments that received product recalled by ProSource Produce LLC. These lists represent the best information currently available to the FDA; however, they may not include all retail establishments that have received the recalled product or may include retail establishments that did not actually receive the recalled product. It is important that you use the product-specific information, available on the Keeler Family Farms recall announcement and the ProSource Produce LLC recall announcement, in addition to these lists of retail stores, when you check the food you have to see if it has been recalled.

FDA has posted a list of additional recalls being conducted by companies that may have received recall onions from ProSource Produce LLC and Keeler Family Farms. This list includes recalls conducted by companies that further processed the onions by using them as ingredients in new products or by repackaging them.

ProSource Produce LLC has voluntarily recalled red, yellow, and white onions imported from the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, with import dates from July 1, 2021, through August 31, 2021. Additional descriptors used for these onion types may include, but are not limited to, jumbo, colossal, medium, summer and sweet onions. Additional recall information will be made public as soon as it is available from ProSource Inc.

The onions were distributed to wholesalers, broadline foodservice customers, and retail or grocery stores in:

  • 50 lb., 25 lb., 10 lb., 5 lb., 3 lb., and 2 lb. mesh sacks
  • 50 lb., 40 lb., 25 lb., 10 lb., and 5 lb. cartons

And 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
  • Sysco Imperial

Keeler Family Farms has recalled red, yellow, and white whole, fresh onions imported from the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, with import dates from July 1, 2021, through August 25, 2021. The onions were distributed in 25lb and 50lb mesh sacks. They contain a label that is marked as “MVP (product of MX)”.

Additional details regarding the recalled products are available on the Keeler Family Farms recall announcement.

Recalls have also been initiated by companies that sold recalled onions or products containing the recalled onions.

Case Count Map Provided by CDC

Case Count Map Providedby Cdc Outbreak Salmonella Oranienburg Whole Fresh Onions(oct2021)



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