The FDA this week issued a handful of recalls that all involve varying types of onions. Suffice it to say, if you tend to cook with onions, or even if you have a meal kit that contains onions as an ingredient, you’ll want to keep a close eye on the onion brands listed below. The onion recall, as if often the case with food, is due to the potential for salmonella contamination.
The brands subject to the onion recall
As meal kits have become more popular, HelloFresh has emerged as one of the more tasty meal kit options. Unfortunately, any HelloFresh products with onions that were available to consumers before September 8, 2021 are being recalled. A list of HelloFresh product codes and production week dates can be viewed over here.
Next up, the FDA issued a recall for onions supplied by Keeler Family Farms. The onions here were available under the brand name Green Giant Fresh in 2, 3, and 5-pound bags. The onions at issue are of the red, yellow, and white variety and were available for purchase between July 15 and July 30 of 2021. More information about this recall is viewable over here. Note that onions from Keeler Family Farms were available in stores across the country in all 50 states.
Some packaged onions from Keeler Family Farms were also available in 25 and 50-pound mesh sacks. To date, onions from Keeler Family Farms have caused more than 650 illnesses and 202 hospitalizations in 37 states.
EveryPlate, which is another meal kit company, is also recalling all kits with onions that were available from July 7 through September 8 of 2021. Product codes and production dates for the onions and meal kits at issue can be seen here. Like the two recalls above, this recall also stems from the possibility of salmonella contamination.
Moving along, onions from ProSource Produce LLC are also subject to a recall. ProSource Produce operates out of Idaho and is recalling raw onions, in red, yellow, and white that where imported from Chihuahua, Mexico between July 1, 2021 and August 31, 2021. The onions involved here ultimately ended up in a variety of branded packages, including Big Bull, Peak Fresh Produce, Sierra Madre, Markon First Crop., Markon Essentials, Rio Blue, ProSource, Rio Valley, and Sysco Imperial.
A list of onions you need to throw away
Do you want to see all the onion brands in a nice tidy list? Here you go:
- Green Giant red, yellow, and white onions (Potandon Produce LLC)
- EveryPlate Onions in Meal Kits
- HelloFresh Onions in Meal Kits
- MVP red, yellow, and white onions (Keeler Family Farms)
- ProSource Produce LLC whole raw red, yellow, white onions sold under the following brand names:
- Big Bull
- Peak Fresh Produce
- Sierra Madre
- Markon First Crop
- Markon Essentials
- Rio Blue
- ProSource
- Rio ValleySysco Imperial
If you’re unsure of whether or not you have any impacted onions, the safest thing to do is to throw them all away. You can also contact your grocer with questions.
The health risks associated with Salmonella
Salmonella is a common reason behind food recalls. Salmonella is a very common bacterial infection that causes more than 1.35 million infections annually. The good news is that a salmonella infection isn’t typically incredibly severe or fatal. On average, salmonella infections cause 27,000 hospitalizations and 420 deaths every year.
Most salmonella symptoms only last for a few days to a week, at the most. Some symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps. In severe cases, antibiotics can help defeat a salmonella infection. More often than not, people are able to recover on their own within a few days’ time.
