Recalls Related to Gills Onions Go On and On

Here's a new reason why onions might cause tears. 

On July 18, Gills Onions issued a recall of a single day's production of onions due to possible contamination with Listeria Monocytogenes, a bacteria that is especially dangerous for young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems.  On July 26, Gills expanded its recall to include diced, slivered, and whole-peeled onions as well as diced celery mix.  The company announced that products that could have been contaminated were shipped to 12 states.  The list of recalls related to Gills products keeps increasing daily, so far involving products in many supermarkets including Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Stop and Shop,  Publix, Garden-Fresh Foods, and Wegmans Food Markets. 

The health risk is compounded by the fact that Gills processed onions were used by stores to make a huge variety of foods. Products that contain Gills Onions include ready-made salads, slaw, various dips, egg salad sandwiches, chicken salad, fajita mix, stuffed mushrooms, and much more.  The result, as Fox News said, is "a cascade of recalls."  The Food Poisoning Bulletin called it "a domino effect." 

According to a July 25 press release from Gills, the following states were involved in the recalls: Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Montana, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Washington.   However, Cool Creations has recalled its bean dips and salsas in Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri, and Oklahoma. That added five more states.    

Gills products that could be contaminated were also shipped to Canada.   A list of possibly contaminated products shipped to Canada is on the Gills Onions website. 

On August 1, at least two more Gills onion recalls were announced: San Miguel Produce of Oxnard,  California recalled 48 cases of Cut 'N Clean Comfort (Cooking Kits and Garden Fresh Foods, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin  establishment, recalled about 13,600 lbs. of meat and poultry salad products containing diced onions from Gills.. 

If you have purchased processed foods that contain onions, check the list of recalls.  Here is a government site that lists many of the recalled products but may not be up-to-date.

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm313576.htm

The Foodbeat site has an article on this matter (written by Angela Ayles). It is dated August 1 and claims to be a complete, updated product list. Angela has promised to keep updating this list. Here's the link: 

http://www.foodbeat.com/food-news/onion-recall-2012-product-list-update-massive-expansion-sparks-health-concerns/

To check the company's list, go to http://www.gillsonions.com.

The FDA has stated that no illnesses have been reported in relation to Gills Onions recalls.  But that's not as reassuring as it may sound since, after exposure to listeria, it may take months for a person to develop symptoms.  Short-term symptoms are high fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. This bacteria can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths.  For the very young, the elderly, or people with compromised immune systems (such as a person receiving chemotherapy), listeria can be fatal.  For USDA recommendations for people as risk of listeria, click here.

Gills Onions has recalled all products made in its facility since July 17 and has closed the facility.  The president of the company issued the following statement: "We’ve identified the problem and are taking aggressive actions to prevent this from happening again."

Though there's no proof that they've been contaminated, to avoid risk of illness, all recalled products should be destroyed or discarded.  Consumers with questions about these recalls may call Gills Onions at 1-888-220-0436 (from Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. PDT).  To read the entire Gills Onion press release, visit the company's website, http://www.gillsonions.com.

Source(s):

gillsonions.com "Gills Onions Expands Voluntary Recall of Diced and Slivered Red and Yellow Onions..."FoodSafety.gov "San Miguel Produce, Inc. Recalls Comfort Green Kit..."

http://www.gillsonions.com.

foodsafety.gov "San Miguel Produce, Inc. Recalls Comfort Green Kit..."

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm314113.htm

foodpoisoningbulletin.com "Gills Onion Listeria Recall Domino Effect"

http://foodpoisoningbulletin.com/2012/gills-onions-listeria-recall-domino-effect/

foodbeat.com "Onion Recall 2012 July: Complete Product List [Updated]

http://www.foodbeat.com/food-news/onion-recall-2012-product-list-update-massive-expansion-sparks-health-concerns/

foxhnews.com "Onion recall expands to multiple products, states"

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/07/30/onion-recall-expands-to-multiple-products-states/

nbcchicago.com "Onion Recall Expands to Illinois"

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Onion-Recall-Expands-to-Illinois-164562646.html