Bacteria outbreak in onions: Is it safe to eat them?

As if the Coronavirus outbreak wasn’t enough, reports are now coming in that there has been a ‘salmonella outbreak’ in onions, which has led to more than 900 people falling sick in the US and Canada. The onions, in this case, were distributed in 50 states of the USA, out of which 43 states are affected with this bacteria outbreak. Due to this outbreak, several grocery chains have recalled their pre-packaged onion-related products like cheese dips and salsa.

Salmonella is the most common type of bacteria that can cause food allergy in people. As per the Food and Drugs Association (FDA), “Salmonella is an organism that can weaken the immune system and cause serious infections in elderly people and young children.” It can cause upset stomach, diarrhoea and even vomiting and nausea with belly pain. One of the difficulties in finding this organism is that it cannot be seen, smelled or tasted. So, a person would not get to know if a food is contaminated with salmonella.

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a statement warning people on this outbreak and has said that “Do not eat, serve, or sell onions from Thomson International, Inc., or food made with these onions. The onion types include red, white, yellow, and sweet yellow varieties.”

As of now, the onions are safe to eat in India as no such concern has been raised by the authorities. However, make sure that the onions you eat are fresh and not rotten as there is a great chance of contamination in them.