All The Recalled Onions You Can't Eat: Salmonella Summer 2020

Earlier this month we reported an onion recall that was part of an investigation into a potential Salmonella outbreak. Here on the 18th of August, 2020, the FDA, CDC, and public health and regulatory officials in the USA and Canada have expanded their investigation and confirmed an additional 229 ill people reported in this outbreak, 9 of whom were from states new to this investigation.

A big list of items with onions are on the do-not-eat list and/or the recall list as of now. The first report came in early August, when the FDA recalled oions across the United States. On August 2, 2020, there were already several hundred reported cases of Salmonella reported as connected to this onion recall.

On August 1, 2020, onions from Thomson International Inc. were recalled for their "potential to be contaminated with Salmonella." That included red, yellow, white, and sweet yellow onions shipped from May 1, 2020, through the present.

The advice from the FDA posted then remains true today: Throw away any onions you've purchased that you know came from Thomson International, Inc. – that includes products containing such onions. As noted by the FDA, "If you cannot tell if your onion is from Thomson International Inc., or your food product contains such onions, you should not eat, sell, or serve it, and should throw it out."

As of publishing time on August 21, 2020, the FDA's site for this investigation suggested that a total of 869 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Newport (this onion-centric situation) have been reported in 47 states. That includes 116 hospitalizations, but no confirmed deaths. Recalled onions as of August 18, 2020, include the following.

• Thompson International Inc.

• Food Lion

• Giant Eagle

• Kroger

• Publix Super Markets (Del Monte Fresh Produce)

• Ralphs (sold loose in bulk bins with sticker)

• Trader Joe's (Pacific Gold only in Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah)

• Walmart (all red, white, yellow, sweet yellow onions from Thompson International, Inc.)

• Hello Fresh

• ALDI: Red onions, White onion 2lb bag, Yellow onion 3lb bag distributed AL, AR, FL, GA, IA, IL, KY, MO, MI, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX; Sweet Onion 2lb bag, distributed AR, IA, IL, MO, OK, TX

• Giant Food (Lancaster recalled red onion products)

• Stop & Shop (Lancaster recalled red onion products)

• Fred Meyer (cheese dips and spreads)

• Fry's (cheese dips and spreads)

• Giant Eagle (basically all prepared foods that could contain onions: chicken salada, sub sandwiches, pizza, etc)

• Kroger: Taylor Farms macaroni and pasta salad, chicken salad sandwich (sold in Louisiana and Texas)

• Kroger: Cheese dips, spreads with onion ingredients (this includes Kroger, Kroger Delta Division, and Kroger Mid-Atlantic)

• Smith's (cheese dips and spreads)

• Spokane Produce (salsa and salsa verde)

• Walmart: Taylor Farms diced yellow onions, diced mirepoix, fajita stir fry trays, chicken salad sandwiches

You can also check on the CDC recall list site or the FDA recall site for updates in the future.