The purpose of this memorandum is to notify School Food Authorities (SFAs) that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a recall of whole, fresh, red, white, and yellow onions, grown in Mexico, due to potential contamination of Salmonella Oranienburg.

Check here for additional information regarding the recall: Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella Oranienburg: Whole, Fresh Onions (October 2021) | FDA

USDA Foods are not impacted by this recall, however there is a small chance that commercial purchases from domestic distributors may be impacted due to the current supply chain challenges. In addition, the recall may expand to additional distributors and to products that contain the onions as ingredients.

Recommended Action:

• If stored appropriately, onions may last up to three months. If you suspect you are in possession of onions included in this recall, throw them out. Do not eat, sell, or serve onions suspected to be contaminated.
• If you suspect you received recalled onions, the FDA recommends using extra care in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces that may have been in contact with these products to reduce the risk of possible cross contamination.
• If you cannot tell if your onions were recalled, do not eat, sell or serve them and throw them out.
• Check the FDA’s Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts  webpage to monitor the most current information on this recall.
• Review the list of additional recalls of food products associated with the contaminated onions. The list may not include all retailors who received the contaminated onions; however, it is based on the best information currently available to the FDA and will be updated as more information becomes available. 
• Meat or poultry items containing recalled onions will be included in the USDA Food Safety and Inspections Service’s Recalls and Public Health Alerts page. Review this web page if you are concerned you have received products containing onions included in this recall.

The FDA, along with CDC and state and local partners, is working to further investigate this outbreak, and the FDA’s investigation is ongoing to determine contamination sources and any additional products or firms linked to the outbreak. Additional information will be provided when available.

Please contact your CN representative with any questions regarding this information.