For Immediate Release: May 13, 2021
The following quote is attributed to Frank Yiannas, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response
“The FDA has been working with the CDC, state partners and Canadian officials to investigate the largest Salmonella Newport outbreak in over a decade, which was linked to red onions. The FDA, today, released a 2020 Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Red Onions Report that includes an overview of our investigation findings, including factors that potentially contributed to the Salmonella contamination of red onions.
“Our investigation found the outbreak to be linked to whole red onions supplied by Thomson International, Inc., with farms in Bakersfield and Holtville, California. During the investigation, the FDA identified several plausible opportunities for contamination that may have contributed to the outbreak, including potentially contaminated irrigation water, sheep grazing on adjacent land, signs of animal intrusion including scat (fecal droppings) and large flocks of birds that may spread contamination, as well as packing house cleaning and sanitizing practices.