Fresh Onions Causing Salmonella Outbreaks in Minnesota + Wisconsin

It looks like whole, fresh onions sold both in grocery stores and to restaurants are to blame for a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Oranienburg infections and the the FDA, along with CDC and state and local partners, is investigating.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, their traceback investigation is ongoing but it has identified ProSource Inc. (also known as ProSource Produce, LLC) of Hailey, Idaho as a source of potentially contaminated whole, fresh onions imported from the State of Chihuahua, Mexico.

Minnesota and Wisconsin are among the states reporting residents becoming sick from these onions.

StarTribune.com is reporting 23 Minnesotans have been sickened so far during this outbreak, ranging in age from 7 to 77. While four have been hospitalized, there have no deaths reported.

The national outbreak has impacted 37 states, with 652 people officially sickened and 129 people requiring hospitalization.

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The FDA adds the potentially affected red, yellow, and white onions from ProSource Inc. were imported between July 1, 2021 through August 27, 2021. Descriptions of these onion types include, but are not limited to, jumbo, colossal, medium, and sweet onions.

Because onions can last up to three months if stored in a cool, dry place, restaurants, retailers, and consumers who purchased these onions may still have them in storage. Nobody should not eat, sell, or serve them, and they should be thrown out immediately.

The bottom line is you should throw out any whole red, white or yellow onions that don't have a sticker or packaging because you simply can't be sure where they originally came from.

Salmonellosis symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. More severe cases of salmonellosis may include a high fever, aches, headaches, lethargy, a rash, blood in the urine or stool, and in some cases may become fatal. Symptoms usually develop 12 to 72 after infection.