The FDA Has Released New Information On A Salmonella Outbreak From Onions That Includes MD

MARYLAND — New details about the salmonella outbreak that has sickened 48 Marylanders were released Wednesday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The agency said the outbreak has been traced back to onions harvested in Mexico and later shipped and sold nationwide.

The recalled onions, supplied by ProSource Produce of Idaho and Keeler Family Farms of New Mexico, were sold to restaurants, food service locations, wholesalers and retail or grocery stores in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Health officials said the outbreak has sickened at least 652 people across the country. Nationwide, 129 people were hospitalized in the outbreak; no deaths have been reported.

In Maryland, the Anne Arundel County Food Bank said it provided the recalled onions to more than a dozen Anne Arundel County Food Pantries from July 1 through Oct. 21. Consumers should throw out any onions received from the pantries during this period.

In neighboring Virginia, 59 people have been sickened in the outbreak, while five people have been sickened in New Jersey, and seven have fallen ill in Pennsylvania.

The FDA had issued a voluntary recall on fresh, whole onions sold and distributed in Maryland, citing possible salmonella contamination.

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On Friday, Keeler Family Farms issued a voluntary recall of red, yellow and white whole, fresh onions imported from Chihuahua, Mexico, between July 1 and Aug. 25. These onions contain a label that is marked as “MVP (product of MX.)”

Two days earlier, ProSource Produce issued a voluntary recall of the same product imported between July 1 and Aug. 31. A full list of recalled product information is available in ProSource Produce LLC’s recall announcement.

Onions were sold to a number of distributors, which then sold them under different brand names, including:

• Big Bull
• Peak Fresh Produce
• Sierra Madre
• Markon First Crop.
• Markon Essentials
• Rio Blue
• ProSource
• Rio Valley
• Sysco Imperial

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

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

Recalls have also been initiated by the following companies that sold the contaminated onions or products containing them:

• HelloFresh, a meal kit subscription service
• EveryPlate, a meal kit subscription service
• Potandon Produce LLC, sold under brand name Green Giant

Any whole red, white, or yellow onions that do not have a sticker or packaging should be thrown away.

Surfaces and containers these onions may have touched should be cleaned using hot soapy water or a dishwasher.

The CDC says to call your doctor if you experience salmonella symptoms, including the following.

• A fever higher than 102 degrees.
• Diarrhea, including bloody diarrhea or diarrhea that has continued for more than three days.
• Vomiting.
• Signs of dehydration, such as not urinating, dry mouth and throat, feeling dizzy when standing up.

Most people infected with salmonella experience diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps within six hours to six days of eating contaminated food.

"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," the CDC said. "The true number of sick people in an outbreak is also likely much higher than the number reported. This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella."