The FDA is weighing in on the multistate red onion Salmonella Newport outbreak that has sickened at least 396 people in 34 states. The FDA is collaborating with the Public Health Agency of Canada, where more than a hundred people are sick with the same strain of Salmonella Newport.
On July 30, 2020, Canadian health officials announced they had determined that red onions from the U.S. were a potential source of the outbreak. Sysco red onions that were imported from the United States were recalled in that country. Then on August 1, 2020, Thomson International recalled all varieties of onions in the U.S. and Canada that could have come into contact with the potentially contaminated red onions, including yellow, white, and sweet yellow onions grown and packaged by that company.
The onions were packaged under these brand names: Thomson Premium, TLC Thomson International, Tender Loving Care, El Competitor, Hartley’s Best, Onions 52, Majestic, Imperial Fresh, Kroger, Utah Onions, and Food Lion. The onions were put into 5 pound cartons, 10 pound cartons, 25 pound cartons, 40 pound cartons, and 50 pound cartons. They were also sold in bulk, and in mesh sacks in these sizes: 2 pound, 3 pound, 5 pound, 10 pound, 25 pound, and 50 pound. They were sold in all 50 states as well as in the District of Columbia and Canada.
The patient care count by state is: Alaska (6), Arizona (14), California (49), Colorado (10), Florida (3), Idaho (5), Illinois (10), Indiana (2), Iowa (15), Kansas (1), Kentucky (1), Maine (4), Maryland (1), Michigan (23), Minnesota (10), Missouri (6), Montana (33), Nebraska (5), Nevada (5), New York (4), North Carolina (3), North Dakota (5), Ohio (7), Oregon (71), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (1), South Dakota (11), Tennessee (5), Texas (1), Utah (61), Virginia (4), Washington (2), Wisconsin (5), and Wyoming (11). Fifty-nine people have been hospitalized because they are so ill.
You can contact food safety attorney Fred Pritzker for help by calling 1-888-377-8900 or 612-338-0202.
Noted food safety lawyer Fred Pritzker, who has represented many people sickened with salmonellosis, said, “Too many people are sick because they bought a ready to eat product that was contaminated with dangerous bacteria. These outbreaks should not happen and companies need to step up their game to prevent contamination in the first place.”
The symptoms of a Salmonella infection usually start 6 to 72 hours after infection. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, stomach and abdominal cramps and pain, and diarrhea that may be bloody.
Most people get better on their own in about a week after a foodborne Salmonella illness, but they may suffer health complications even after fully recovering. Those complications can include endocarditis, high blood pressure, Reiter’s Syndrome, and reactive arthritis. If you have been ill, contact your doctor and ask for a fecal test. You may be part of this red onion Salmonella Newport outbreak.
If you or a loved one have been sickened with a Salmonella Newport infection after eating recalled Thomson International red onions, please contact our experienced attorneys for help at 1-888-377-8900 or 612-338-0202.
