CDC: Throw Away Unlabeled Whole Raw Onions Due To Salmonella Risk

The Federal Centers For Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] is warning people about a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 652 people in 37 states, leaving 129 hospitalized.

One source of the outbreak is believed to be whole red, white and yellow onions imported from Chihuahua, Mexico, and distributed by ProSource Inc. The agency says interviews with people sickened by the outbreak indicate that 75 percent of them ate or may have eaten raw onions or dishes containing raw onions before they got sick. Investigators are still trying to find out if other onions or suppliers might be linked to the outbreak.

So far no one is known to have died from the salmonella being spread by the onions. The CDC offers the following advice:

• Do not buy or eat any whole fresh red, white, or yellow onions if they were imported from Chihuahua, Mexico, and distributed by ProSource Inc.
• Throw away any whole red, white, or yellow onions you have at home that do not have a sticker or packaging.
• Wash surfaces and containers that may have touched the onions using hot soapy water or a dishwasher. 
• Contact a healthcare provider if you have severe Salmonella symptoms.

Symptoms of salmonella include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramping that usually develops anywhere between 6 hours and 6 days after eating contaminated food.

The illness usually lasts between 4 and 7 days, and most people recover on their own. But children under 5 years old, people over 65, and those with weakened immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness from salmonella.