Green Onion Recall Canceled Due to False Positive for Salmonella

A recall of green onions has been canceled after it was discovered that salmonella found on the vegetables was a false positive.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) previously found salmonella bacteria in a sample of green onions by Church Brothers Farms.

On October 18, Church Brothers Farms voluntarily recalled 1,271 cases of their green onions as a result, sold under the brands Church Brothers, Imperial Fresh and Trader Joe’s.

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The onions were sold by Church Brothers Farms, a California-based company, in retail and foodservice outlets across Canada and 11 U.S. states, and customers were urged to discard and not consume the onions.

But after the recall was announced, the CFIA carried out further analysis on the salmonella found on the green onion sample, the results of which indicated that the onions may have been cross contaminated with salmonella from the CFIA’s laboratory.

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A further internal review confirmed that cross contamination had happened, and the salmonella testing on the green onions had resulted in a false positive.

The CFIA and U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the cancellation of the recall on Monday.

“We were relieved to hear that it was the lab’s control strain—not our product—that caused the positive salmonella result, and that no one became ill,” Megan Chedwick, vice president of food safety, quality and regulatory compliance at Church Brothers Farms, told Newsweek. “We did what needed to be done, and thankfully we have the processes in place to react quickly.”

“The safety of our products is Church Brothers’ highest priority, and we pride ourselves with having the utmost integrity when it comes to Food Safety Standards,” Chedwick said in a statement.

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“There are repercussions with any product recall, and we’d be lying if we said that we didn’t feel the effects of the one last month,” she told Newsweek.

“However, in addition to strong food safety programs, we also have great relationships with our customers. That allows us to weather storms like this and even come out stronger as a result.”

A spokesperson from the CFIA told Newsweek that the CFIA Laboratory Network was “reviewing its internal processes” and would “implement additional steps as necessary.”

“On October 16, 2024, the CFIA advised Church Brothers that a sample of Imperial Fresh brand Green Onion had tested positive for the presence of salmonella,” they said. “At that specific moment, there was not basis to question the validity of the test result. Given the test result at that time, there were reasonable ground to believe that there was a risk to public health.”

The spokesperson said the CFIA acknowledged Church Brothers’ “recent cooperation and engagement in this recent food safety investigation, as well as its commitment to food safety and consumer protection.”

Salmonella is a group of bacteria that can cause serious and sometimes fatal food poisoning infections, particularly among young children, frail or elderly people, older adults with underlying medical conditions, and others with weakened immune systems.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that salmonella causes approximately 1.35 million infections in the U.S. every year and is America’s leading cause of hospitalizations and deaths linked to foodborne illness.

Salmonella lives in the intestines and fecal matter of people and animals, but it can contaminate food via unwashed hands and contaminated water.

Healthy people infected with salmonella usually experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, and recover after a few days.

Other food recalls currently include meat products that may be contaminated with listeria bacteria, beef tallow that has been labeled unfit for human consumption, and tortilla strips with missing allergen warnings.

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Update 11/27/24 at 4:42 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Church Brothers Farms and the CFIA.