Consumers who have recently purchased Wegmans Vidalia Onions should know there’s a recall due to potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. That’s a dangerous bacteria that can cause severe illnesses for certain people.
Wegmans Vidalia Onions recall
Wegmans posted the recall announcement on its website. Unlike most recall actions, you won’t find it over at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), however.
The company explains that the Vidalia Onions recall items were sold by the pound. The product may have a 4-digit PLU sticker with codes 4159 through 4166. Wegmans did not provide images of the Vidalia Onions product in the recall announcement.
Wegmans sold the potentially contaminated onions on June 23rd and June 24th, 2022. Given the long shelf life of onions, customers might still have onions that haven’t been eaten yet.
Wegmans also provided a list of the stores where it sold the potentially contaminated Vidalia Onions. According to the list, only buyers in Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania are impacted by the recall.
The Vidalia Onions were available at these stores:
Massachusetts
- Burlington
- Chestnut Hill
- Medford
- Natick
- Northborough
- Westwood
New York
- Alberta Drive
- Amherst Street
- Auburn
- Brockport
- Calkins Road
- Canandaigua
- Chili-Paul
- Cicero
- Corning
- Dewitt
- Dick Road
- East Avenue
- Eastway
- Elmira
- Fairmount
- Fairport
- Geneseo
- Geneva
- Great Northern
- Holt Road
- Hornell
- Irondequoit
- Ithaca
- James Street
- Jamestown
- John Glenn
- Johnson City
- Latta Road
- Losson Road
- Lyell Avenue
- Marketplace
- McKinley
- Military Road
- Mt. Read
- Newark
- Niagara Falls Boulevard
- Onondaga
- Penfield
- Perinton
- Pittsford
- Ridge-Culver
- Ridgemont
- Sheridan Drive
- Taft Road
- Transit Road
- West Seneca
Pennsylvania
- Erie West
- Erie Peach Street
The Listeria infection
Listeria contamination is often the reason for food product recalls, as the bacteria can make people sick. Symptoms include fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea, and diarrhea.
If the bacteria spreads to the nervous system, you can experience headaches, stiff neck, confusion or changes in alertness, loss of balance, and even convulsions.
Elderly people and those with weakened immune systems can experience severe and sometimes fatal illnesses. Moreover, the infection impacts pregnant women. Listeria can cause stillbirths, miscarriages, and newborn infections.
“Listeria is a group of bacteria that is found in cold, wet environments,” said Fadi Aramouni, extension specialist and professor of food science. “What’s unusual about this type of bacterium is they actually grow and multiply under refrigerated conditions.”
Fadi Aramouni
The Wegmans Vidalia onion recall makes no mention of whether or not anyone has gotten sick from eating them. But it might be too soon to determine a link between the product and a Listeria outbreak. Symptoms might appear a few days after ingesting contaminated products. But it can take up to 30 days for signs of an infection to appear.
What should you do?
Wegmans advises buyers to return the Vidalia Onions in the recall to the customer desk for a full refund.
People who have experienced symptoms consistent with a Listeria infection should reach out to their doctors for a proper diagnosis.
Finally, make sure you check out Wegman’s recall announcement at this link for more information, including contact details for the company.
