Trader Joe’s Hit by Contamination Fears as FDA Issues Recall for Salmonella-Infected Green Onions

Trader Joe’s has become the latest retailer to be hit by contamination fears, as the FDA has issued a recall for its green onions. The recall stems from concerns about salmonella infections from a select lot. Let’s take a look at what we know about this latest recall.

Trader Joe’s Hit by Major Recall

According to Mass Live, Trader Joe’s customers who purchased the retailer’s green onions have been urged to throw them away amid fears of salmonella contamination. The FDA is urging customers who purchased Green Onions Iceless 24x6oz., with a lot number CB272378 and a pack date of Sept. 25, 2024, to dispose of their items.

Only a few retail and foodservice clients in the U.S. and Canada (Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia) received this product. These consumers have been informed by Church Brothers Farms — the distributor of the green onions — which is collaborating with them to guarantee prompt recall compliance.

“This recall is the result of a single product sample collected by Canadian Food Inspection Agency that indicated the presence of Salmonella. The Company promptly reported this issue to Food & Drug Administration. To the knowledge of Church Brothers Farms, no illnesses have occurred or been reported to date,” notes the federal agency.

In addition to Trader Joe’s, green onions under the Church Brothers and Imperial Fresh brand names with the same lot code have also been affected by the recall.

Over 1,000 cases of the green onions have been contaminated with the virus. Salmonella is a bacteria that can infect small children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems, leading to serious and occasionally deadly infections. Salmonella infections frequently cause fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain in healthy people.

To date, no deaths or injuries have been reported from the affected Trader Joe’s products, and customers who have any questions are urged to contact the CDC or visit their nearest Trader Joe’s for more information.

Latest Contamination Concerns

Trader Joe’s is just the latest retailer to get hit with contamination concerns. Earlier this week, Costco was involved in a major recall of certain smoked salmon products due to concerns of listeria contamination.

A voluntary recall of specific smoked salmon packages was announced by Acme Smoked Fish Corp., the firm that supplies Costco with smoked salmon under the Kirkland Signature brand of the warehouse store. Acme Smoked Fish announced the recall “with an abundance of caution” on Oct. 22, 2024, in a letter to Costco members, citing possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

For a complete refund, packages bearing lot number 8512801270 should be sent back to Costco. Acme Smoked Fish has taken “immediate corrective steps to ensure that this issue never happens again,” expressing its sadness over the “unfortunate incident.”

The food industry has had a number of high-profile contamination problems in recent months. Not every one of these incidents has anything to do with food bought at big-box retailers or supermarkets.

In an update released on Friday, Oct. 25, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that 75 people in 13 states had recently become ill due to an E. coli epidemic linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders. McDonald’s believes that the Quarter Pounder is the only menu item that has been impacted thus far. The raw sliced onions that were put on top of the burgers were thought to be the source of the listeria outbreak. The Quarter Pounder was first removed from the chain’s menu, but as of Oct. 28, it is back, albeit without any onions.

Also in July of this year, Boar’s Head implemented a voluntary recall of its liverwurst products.