Since the previous update on Aug. 7, an additional 229 ill people have been confirmed, including nine from four new states: Arkansas, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Texas. As of today, 869 infected people have been reported in 47 states, with 116 of those patients having been admitted to hospitals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The implicated onions, from Thomson International Inc., were recalled on Aug. 1. The recall includes all varieties of onions that could have come in contact with potentially contaminated red onions, according to the Food and Drug Administration’s outbreak investigation report. Recalled products include red, yellow, white, and sweet yellow onions shipped nationwide from May 1 to Aug. 1. they were sold under the following brand names: Thomson Premium, TLC Thomson International, Tender Loving Care, El Competitor, Hartley’s Best, Onions 52, Majestic, Imperial Fresh, Kroger, Utah Onions, and Food Lion.

“Recalls have also been initiated by companies that sold onions or products containing the recalled onions. FDA has published a list of Recalls of Food Products Associated with Onions from Thomson International, Inc. and USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has published a list of Ready-to-Eat Meat and Poultry Products Containing Recalled Onions,” according to the FDA update posted today.

The FDA is working with the CDC to investigate the Salmonella Newport outbreak. As part of the root cause investigation at Thomson International, Inc. the FDA is collecting and analyzing onions, water, and environmental samples.

Investigators in the United States are working with colleagues in Canada on a related outbreak there that has been traced to Thomson’s onions. As of its Aug. 14 update, 339 confirmed cases of Salmonella Newport illness linked to this outbreak had been reported in seven provinces, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is also involved in the outbreak investigation. It has issued a number of food recall warnings for related products that went to Canada. Some of the products were possibly distributed nationally.

About Salmonella infections
Food contaminated with Salmonella bacteria does not usually look, smell, or taste spoiled. Anyone can become sick with a Salmonella infection. Infants, children, seniors, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of serious illness because their immune systems are fragile, according to the CDC.

Anyone who has eaten any recalled products and developed symptoms of Salmonella infection should seek medical attention. Sick people should tell their doctors about the possible exposure to Salmonella bacteria because special tests are necessary to diagnose salmonellosis. Salmonella infection symptoms can mimic other illnesses, frequently leading to misdiagnosis.

Symptoms of Salmonella infection can include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food. Otherwise, healthy adults are usually sick for four to seven days. In some cases, however, diarrhea may be so severe that patients require hospitalization.

Older adults, children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients, are more likely to develop a severe illness and serious, sometimes life-threatening conditions.

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In a related story, earlier today Tailor Farms recalled Kroger and Walmart brand deli salads and other products because of the same onion contamination problem.

“After receiving notification from onion supplier, Onion 52, that the vendor had sourced onions affected by the recent salmonella-related Thomson International Inc. onion recall for Giant Eagle, the company pulled all impacted product on Saturday, Aug. 1” according to the Giant Eagle company recall posted today by the Food and Drug Administration.

There is concern that some consumers may have unused portions of the 48 recalled products in their homes. Anyone with any of the recalled products is urged to throw them out or return them to the place of purchase.

It is likely that Giant Eagle won’t be the last company to recall products. Thomson International distributed its onions in bulk and under various brand names to other distributors, packers, and retailers — including restaurants and institutional kitchens — in all 50 states and across Canada.

The Salmonella Newport outbreak in Canada and the United States has seen 510 people confirmed sick, with 396 of them in the U.S.

The Giant Eagle recall impacts at least five states.

“Giant Eagle recalled red, yellow, and white onions sold in produce departments across Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, and Maryland,” according to the notice. “The recall also includes select prepared foods items that included the affected onions as ingredients sold across the same five states.”

The 48 products listed below do not include the bulk onions Giant Eagle sold, but they are also under recall. The recalled all bulk and bagged onions are red, yellow, and white and have been sold in its produce departments since June 6.

Giant Eagle did not post any product photographs with the FDA. Consumers can use the following information to determine whether they have any of the multi-ingredient products under recall.

About Salmonella infections
Food contaminated with Salmonella bacteria does not usually look, smell, or taste spoiled. Anyone can become sick with a Salmonella infection. Infants, children, seniors, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of serious illness because their immune systems are fragile, according to the CDC.

Anyone who has eaten any recalled products and developed symptoms of Salmonella infection should seek medical attention. Sick people should tell their doctors about the possible exposure to Salmonella bacteria because special tests are necessary to diagnose salmonellosis. Salmonella infection symptoms can mimic other illnesses, frequently leading to misdiagnosis.

Symptoms of Salmonella infection can include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food. Otherwise, healthy adults are usually sick for four to seven days. In some cases, however, diarrhea may be so severe that patients require hospitalization.

Older adults, children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients, are more likely to develop a severe illness and serious, sometimes life-threatening conditions.

(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety Website, click here.)

Of the infected people, 396 are from 34 U.S. states. Of those for whom information is available, 59 have been admitted to hospitals. The first illness began on July 12, but health officials expect more to be identified because of the lag time between illness onset and the confirmation required for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to add a patient to its tally. 

There were 114 confirmed infected people in Canada as of July 31. The implicated onions in Canada were shipped to the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Ontario, Possibly National, Saskatchewan, Yukon.

Canadian officials did not immediately name Thompson onions, with the county’s first recall related to the outbreak involving Sysco onions. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has since added several Thomson products in a second recall notice. Sysco is one of the largest broad-line suppliers in North America. It supplies wholesalers, packers, retailers, restaurants, and food service operations ranging from schools to nursing homes.

Initially, it was thought that only red onions were implicated in the Salmonella Newport outbreak, but because of cross-contamination issues, all onions, including yellow, white and sweet are being recalled in both countries.

“As of now no specific source of contamination or contaminated shipment has been identified, and FDA is also investigating other potential sources of contamination and has not yet reached a final conclusion,” the recall notice says.

Many of the onions are packaged for foodservice use and have been used in multi-ingredient foods so it is difficult for consumers to know whether the onions in such foods are part of the recall. This includes foods ranging from deli salads to restaurants’ most expensive menu items.

“Consumers, restaurants, and retailers should not eat, sell, or serve red, white, yellow, or sweet onions from Thomson International, Inc. or products containing such onions. If you cannot tell if your onion is from Thomson International Inc., or your food product contains such onions, you should not eat, sell, or serve it, and should throw it out,” according to the recall notice.

Thomson, of Bakersfield, CA, told the Food and Drug Administration that the onions were shipped beginning May 1 through the present. The company’s recall notice did not include any information about where the onions came from before it distributed them.

“Onions were distributed to wholesalers, restaurants, and retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Canada,” according to the company’s recall notice.

“The onions were distributed in 5 lbs. carton. 10 lbs. carton. 25 lbs. carton. 40 lbs. carton, 50 lbs. carton. bulk, 2 lb. mesh sacks, and 3 lb. mesh sacks, 5 lb. mesh sacks, 10 lb. mesh sacks 25 lbs. mesh sacks, 50 lbs. mesh sacks,” according the U.S. recall notice.

The onions were sold under the following brands:

•  Thomson  Premium,
• TLC Thomson International,
• Tender Loving Care,
• El Competitor,
• Hartley’s Best,
• Onions 52,
• Majestic,
• Imperial Fresh,
• Kroger
• Utah Onions and Food Lion.

For photos of products recalled in the United States click here.

States with confirmed Salmonella Newport patients include: AK with (6), AZ (14), CA (49), CO (10), FL (3), ID (5), IL (10), IN (2), IA (15), KS (1), KY (1), ME (4), MD (1), MI (23), MN (10), MO (6), MT (33), NE (5), NV (5), NY (4), NC (3), ND (5), OH (7), OR (71), PA (2), SC (1), SD (11), TN (5), TX (1), UT (61), VA (4), WA (2), WI (5), and WY (11).

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The red onions from Thomson International Inc. are the likely source of the outbreak, which has sickened more than 500 people in the U.S. and Canada, according to Canadian officials and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Earlier Friday, Canadian officials announced a recall by Sysco of its red onions because traceback work in that country showed them to be related to the outbreak there. Neither U.S. nor Canadian officials referenced the company named by the other country.

Since the previous updates, on July 24, from the FDA and CDC, 184 more people have been added to the patient count. That brings the U.S. total to 396 sick people across 34 states. It can take up to four weeks for patients to be added to the CDC’s official count.

As of Friday, only red onions have been linked to the multinational outbreak, but U.S. officials say consumers should error on the side of caution when it comes to onion consumption right now.

“Thomson International Inc. has notified FDA that it will be recalling all varieties of onions that could have come in contact with potentially contaminated red onions, due to the risk of cross-contamination,” according to the FDA update. “This recall would include red, white, yellow, and sweet onions from Thomson International Inc. Recall information will be made public as soon as it is available from Thomson International Inc.”

In the U.S., illnesses started on dates ranging from June 19, 2020, to July 12, 2020. Ill people range in age from less than 1 to 102 years old, with a median age of 39. Of 236 ill people with information available, 59 hospitalizations have been reported. No deaths have been confirmed.

Whole genome sequencing showed that the outbreak of Salmonella Newport infections in Canada is related genetically to the outbreak in the United States. This means that people in both of these outbreaks likely share a common source of infection.

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The FDA’s top food safety man said the water protocol is a “big deal and a milestone” for leafy greens. Frank Yiannas, FDA’s deputy commissioner for food policy and response also said “one outbreak is one too many,” during a webinar covering the agency’s leafy greens action plan.

Topics covered during the call included voluntary pilot programs this summer “driven” by industry to better understand problems with traceability and continued efforts by FDA to come up with food safety rules that have been in the works for years.

Yiannas and several others on a webinar call Thursday afternoon referenced the three E. coli outbreaks traced to romaine lettuce from September to December 2019. Short of saying the outbreaks were the result of contamination from an animal feeding operation. The Food and Drug Administration in May released a report pointing a finger straight at a small cattle operation near romaine fields in California.

Mark Moorman, director for the office of food safety at the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said it’s time for everyone to stop associating contamination incidents with large animal feedlots referred to as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). He said the outbreaks in the fall of 2019 were all related to one farm that had a relatively small animal operation.

Fecal matter in dust and runoff water has been blamed for several romaine-related E. coli outbreaks in recent years. It can contaminate irrigation water and subsequently contaminate fresh produce in nearby or adjacent fields. Consequently outbreak investigators continue to look at pre-harvest agricultural water as a key element.

One problem, government official said during the webinar, is that inspectors cannot go into animal operations to collect samples unless they have permission from the land owner, which is usually not forthcoming. 

“We do not have the authority to go into these areas. We ask, we beg,” said Moorman during the question answer session of the webinar.

Another problem is even if they could access the animal operations for pathogen testing, there aren’t any EPA-approved pesticides for antimicrobial organisms. FDA officials said they believe the new water protocol announced Thursday will help solve that problem.

In addition to the voluntary traceability pilot projects spearheaded by industry, the FDA is conducting a longitudinal study to look at a variety of pieces in the romaine contamination puzzle. Yiannas said it will help outbreak detectives understand how pathogens move and how to prevent outbreaks.

A case in point cited during the webinar for the value of longitudinal studies is work the FDA and state agencies did in the East Coast area known as the Delmarva area. In the area of the convergence of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia a lot of tomatoes are grown. The area was plagued by a series of Salmonella outbreaks until a study revealed that the fields were being irrigated with water from a Salmonella-contaminated pond.

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More than a dozen scientists, government officials and corporate representatives joined forces yesterday for the “COVID-19 & Food Safety Global Summit,” which was organized by the International Association for Food Protection. The three-session web event attracted hundreds of attendees from around the world. Registered attendees will have access to a playback of the webinar and will be notified by email on how to access it.

During Sessions 1 and 3 presenters touched lightly on the knowledge gap involving the coronavirus and food safety. During Session 2 the presenters and moderator gave their full discussion to what we don’t know and what that means.

“. . . The science is moving very quickly,” said Ben Chapman, panelist and professor and extension specialist at North Carolina State University. “. . .  We’re kind of making decisions a little bit blind.”

Also on the panel was Lawrence Goodridge, Leung Family Professor in Food Safety, Director of the Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety, Director of the Food Safety & Quality Assurance MSc Program, all in the Department of Food Science at the University of Guelph. Donald Schaffner moderated the panel. He also comes from academia, being distinguished professor and extension specialist at Rutgers University.

Goodridge agreed that knowledge gaps are hampering food safety decisions and plans in regard to COVID-19 mitigation. One thing, Goodridge said, that is not unknown are the hygiene practices and food safety procedures that are already in place. Current best practices are a better jumping off point than a food system with no controls at all.

Chapman and Goodridge also agreed that there is very little in the way of published research on the topic of food safety and the virus. Both acknowledged the current thinking is that the current form of the virus is not foodborne, but both pointed to other ways it is impacting food safety.

Without that research, Chapman said, it is “really hard to make best practices decisions.”

Specific knowledge gaps mentioned by Goodridge included information about different virus strains and different foods, buffet and self-serve situations, and various retail scenarios.

In addition to the nuts and bolts of needed research, the panelists discussed the  need for the focus right now in the food industry to be on worker-to-worker infection control.

“One factor we are trying to address here is worker-to-worker transmission and it’s impact on food safety,” Chapman said.

During the question and answer portion of the session one attendee asked about environmental sampling to determine whether the virus is present in food facilities on hard surfaces or other contact points. Chapman did not hesitate with his answer.

“The early detection system of watching for sick employees (is key). We need to focus on person-to-person transmission, not environmental sampling,” Chapman said.

The summit was partially sponsored by the Seattle law firm Marler Clark LLP. Founding partner Bill Marler is publisher of Food Safety Website.

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“A specific food, grocery store, or restaurant chain has not been identified as the source of this outbreak,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stressed in its outbreak update.” This investigation is active and evolving.”

Health officials are pleading with the public to help with the outbreak investigation.

“CDC encourages people experiencing symptoms of a Salmonella infection to report their illness to their local health department and participate in interviews when the health department calls to ask them about the foods they ate before they got sick. This information is vital for public health officials to identify the source of this outbreak and to take steps to prevent additional illnesses.”

As of today, the mysterious outbreak has infected people in eight additional states: Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Maine, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Virginia.

The first person identified as part of the outbreak became ill on June 19. The most recent person got sick on July 11. It can take up to four weeks for the CDC to add patients to its tally following an initial positive test.

In the ongoing outbreak patients range in age from zero to 92 years old, according to the CDC. Of 117 patients for whom the CDC has received information on hospital status, 31 out of 117 people had been admitted. No deaths have been reported.

The CDC is encouraging people with specific questions to contact their state health departments. The agency reported that past outbreaks of Salmonella Newport infections have been linked to produce, meat, and dairy products.

About Salmonella infections
Food contaminated with Salmonella bacteria does not usually look, smell, or taste spoiled. Anyone can become sick with a Salmonella infection. Infants, children, seniors, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of serious illness because their immune systems are fragile, according to the CDC.

Sick people should see a doctor because special tests are necessary to diagnose salmonellosis. Salmonella infection symptoms can mimic other illnesses, frequently leading to misdiagnosis.

Symptoms of Salmonella infection can include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food. Otherwise, healthy adults are usually sick for four to seven days. In some cases, however, diarrhea may be so severe that patients require hospitalization.

Older adults, children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients, are more likely to develop a severe illness and serious, sometimes life-threatening conditions.

(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety Website, click here.)

Oregon has by far been the hardest hit in the 15-state outbreak that the CDC announced earlier this week. The state has 42 of the nationwide outbreak’s 125 patients, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent count. It can take up to four weeks before patients are added to the CDC tally because of time needed for lab confirmation and the official reporting process.

A spokesperson for the Oregon Health Authority did confirm that the state department is working with the CDC.

“Oregon Health Authority is working with federal authorities and local public health to continue case interviews and test food samples when available in an effort to track down the likely source of this multistate Salmonella Newport outbreak,” the spokesperson told Food Safety Website.

Staff at the CDC did not respond to questions about the Oregon restaurant-related patients, including whether those patients are included in the federal agency’s case count. The CDC reported in its outbreak announcement that no single restaurant or other entity or product had been identified as a source of the Salmonella and that all possibilities are under review.

The local investigation
Meanwhile, local television reporter Katie Streit of KOBI-TV/KOTI-TV is reporting that the county health department involved has received negative results for all of the Salmonella tests taken from the restaurant, Si Casa Flores.  

The restaurant in Grants Pass, OR, was named by county officials in recent days as being a possible source for Salmonella Newport infections among patients in a cluster of illnesses.

Two of the restaurant associated patients have been hospitalized.

Because of shared ingredients, the Oregon Health Authority and Josephine County Public Health are asking anyone who may have dined at any of the following Si Casa Flores Corporation locations in Grants Pass from June 25 through July 7 to complete the survey found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DJQTN8D:

• Si Casa Flores (202 N.E. Beacon Drive)
• Si Casa Express (401 N.W. F St.)
• Xpress Trailer (502 Union Ave.)

The purpose of the survey is to gather information needed to assist in an attempt to identify the source of the Salmonella Newport. Information is needed from both sick and well customers to identify food items associated with the illness.

The nationwide outbreak
Referred to by the CDC as a “rapidly growing outbreak,” the multistate situation is the subject of an ongoing investigation. Overall, the outbreak victims’ ages range from 2 to 92 years old. Officials have not confirmed any deaths.

On July 10, the CDC’sPulseNet identified the outbreak when it found 13 Salmonella Newport infections in three states. Over the next 10 days, the outbreak grew to 125 confirmed patients in 15 states. 

“In this investigation, WGS (whole genome sequencing) showed that bacteria isolated from ill people were closely related genetically,” according to the CDC. “This means that people in this outbreak are more likely to share a common source of infection.”

About Salmonella infections
Food contaminated with Salmonella bacteria does not usually look, smell, or taste spoiled. Anyone can become sick with a Salmonella infection. Infants, children, seniors, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of serious illness because their immune systems are fragile, according to the CDC.

Anyone who has developed symptoms of Salmonella infection should seek medical attention. Special tests are necessary to diagnose salmonellosis. Salmonella infection symptoms can mimic other illnesses, frequently leading to misdiagnosis.

Symptoms of Salmonella infection can include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food. Otherwise, healthy adults are usually sick for four to seven days. In some cases, however, diarrhea may be so severe that patients require hospitalization.

Older adults, children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients, are more likely to develop a severe illness and serious, sometimes life-threatening conditions.

(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety Website, click here.)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the source of the pathogen, which is frequently foodborne, remains the subject of the investigation. The “rapidly growing” outbreak has sickened at least 125 people across 15 states.

Though the outbreak announcement comes weeks after people started becoming sick, the CDC took only 11 days to go public with the information once a lab-based computer network identified 13 sick people, all infected by Salmonella Newport. Overall, the outbreak victims’ ages range from 2 to 92 years old. Officials have not confirmed any deaths.

On July 10, the CDC’sPulseNet identified the outbreak of 13 Salmonella Newport infections in three states. Over the next 10 days, the outbreak rapidly grew to 125 infections in 15 states. 

“CDC PulseNet manages a national database of these sequences that are used to identify possible outbreaks. (Whole Genome Sequencing) WGS gives investigators detailed information about the bacteria causing illness,” according to the outbreak notice.”

“In this investigation, WGS showed that bacteria isolated from ill people were closely related genetically. This means that people in this outbreak are more likely to share a common source of infection.”

Federal officials expect to add patients to the national tally as more information becomes available to the CDC. It is taking an average of two to four weeks in this investigation for an illness to be diagnosed, confirmed, reported to state officials, and then reported to federal officials, according to the CDC.

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“Microorganisms Move a Short Distance into an Almond Orchard from an Adjacent Upwind Poultry Operation” comes as romaine growers continue to study the impact of a 100,000-head cattle feed lot adjacent to Arizona growing fields.

Lettuce growers from regions in California are also looking at implications of having animal operations in the areas near food crops. The Food and Drug Administration recently posted a conclusion that animal operations were the likely cause behind romaine E. coli outbreaks in 2018-19.

The almond research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, involved a number of scientists: 

Christopher G. Theofel, Thomas R. Williams, Eduardo Gutierrez, Gordon R. Davidson, Michele Jay-Russell, Linda J. Harris, and editor Donald W. Schaffner. They tested swab samples taken from orchard soil surface and air, soil, and almond leaf samples.

Researchers took samples from orchard air downwind of the unnamed poultry operation and at varying distances. Some samples came from around trees immediately adjacent to the poultry farm. Researchers took other samples from 60 and 120 meters into each orchard. 

By far the air closest to the poultry operation had more E. coli than that further away.

“E. coli was isolated from 41 of 206 (20 percent) and 1 of 207 (0.48 percent) air samples in the almond-poultry and control orchards respectively,” according to the research abstract.

“Salmonella was not isolated from any of the 529 samples evaluated. On average, the amount of dry solids on leaves collected from trees closest to the poultry operation was more than 2-fold greater than from trees 120 meters into the orchard or from any of the trees in the control orchards.”

The researchers also looked at numbers for members of the Staphylococcaceae family of pathogens, which are often associated with poultry. They were, on average, significantly more abundant in orchard air closest to the poultry operation (10% of relative abundance) than in trees 120 meters into the orchard (1.7% relative abundance) or from any of the trees in control orchards (0.41% relative abundance).

Scientists wrapped up the study abstract with strong words about food fields near animal operations.

“Poultry-associated microorganisms from a commercial operation transferred a short distance into an adjacent downwind almond orchard,” according to the abstract. 

“This study provides evidence that dust and bioaerosols moved from a commercial poultry operation a short distance downwind into an almond orchard and altered the microbiome recovered from the leaves. These data provide growers with information they can use to assess food safety risks on their property.”

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