WASHINGTON – An extensive recall of fresh-cut onion products has ensnared several meat companies.
Milwaukee, Wis.-based Garden Fresh Foods is the latest company to recall products — in this case 13,600 lbs. of meat and poultry salad products — that contain diced onions that are the subject of a recall by Gill Onions, Oxnard, Calif., due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
All the products were produced between July 10 and July 16, according to the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The salad products were distributed to retailers and institutions nationwide.
FSIS was alerted to the problem by Garden Fresh Foods. The company was informed by a supplier that diced onions used in the product are subject to a FDA recall. There have been no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of the salad products, FSIS said.
On July 27 Huxtable’s Kitchen, Vernon, Calif., recalled 5,610 lbs. of Trader Joe’s brand barbecue chicken salad because the product contained onion products involved in the recall. Orlando, Fla.-based LSG Sky Chefs also recalled 735 lbs. of ready-to-eat chipotle chicken wrap products. In both cases, no illnesses were associated with the products.
Gills Onions initiated a voluntary recall on July 18, and then expanded the recall to include additional products, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The expanded product list includes diced, slivered and whole peeled onions and diced onion/celery mix with use-by-dates on or before Aug.3. No illnesses have been linked to the recall thus far.
The recalled onions were shipped directly from Gills Onions to retailers in Canada and Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Montana, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Washington, FDA said.
During an FDA investigation, Listeria was found in the facility in which the July 18 recalled product was processed. Gills Onions expanded the recall to include all products processed in that facility as a precautionary measure. The facility has been out of service since July 17, pending the outcome of the investigation and mitigation efforts.
None of the products included in the recall tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.
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