The Salmonella outbreak linked to onions produced by Thompson International of Bakersfield, CA has ended with 1,127 sick and 167 hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The outbreak, linked to onions sold under a variety of brand names, included illnesses in 48 states and 515 illnesses in a separate outbreak in Canada.
Three months ago, when the CDC announced it on July 21, 2020, 125 people in 15 states were sick. Since that time the number of illnesses has ballooned and multiple recalls have been issued.
The people sickened in this outbreak, who range in age from 1 to 102 years old, reported that they first began to experience symptoms of a Salmonella infection, including diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever, on dates ranging from June 19, 2020 to September 11, 2020.
Health officials identified the “genetic fingerprint” of the Salmonella Newport strain using Whole Genome Sequencing. People who were sickened by Salmonella Newport with this fingerprint were likely to have shared a common source of infection. During interviews with health officials, 91 percent of patients interviewed by health officials reported eating onions in foods they prepared at home and in foods they ate at restaurants.
Investigators from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted epidemiological and traceback investigations and discovered that red onions produced by Thompson were the likely source of the outbreak. Thomson also recalled other types of onions, including white, yellow and sweet yellow onions because of the potential that they were cross-contaminated.
The onions linked to this outbreak were distributed to grocery stores, restaurants and foodservice companies that prepare foods for nursing homes, schools and other settings. Grocery store chains affected by the recall include: ALDI, Costco, Food Lion, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Giant, Giant Eagle, Kroger, New Market, Publix, Ralph’s Smiths, Stop & Shop, Trader Joe’s and Walmart.
If you are part of this outbreak and would like a free consultation with an experienced Salmonella lawyer, please contact the Pritzker Hageman Salmonella Legal Team. We have represented clients in every major Salmonella outbreak in the U.S. You can reach us by calling 1-888-377-8900, sending a text to 612-261-0856, or by completing the form below. There is no obligation and we don’t get paid unless we win.