Gills Onions
Outcome
Gills Onions of Oxnard, California, recalled fresh diced onion products on October 23, 2023, after FDA traceback and environmental sampling confirmed Salmonella contamination at the source farm; the multistate outbreak caused 80 illnesses, 18 hospitalizations, and 1 death across 23 states before the investigation closed.
Details
Gills Onions — Salmonella Outbreak, 1 Death / Fresh Diced Onions Recall (2023)
Outcome: Gills Onions of Oxnard, California, voluntarily recalled fresh diced onion products on October 23, 2023, after FDA and CDC confirmed a multistate Salmonella outbreak traced to the supplier farm; 80 people were sickened across 23 states, 18 were hospitalized, and one person in Wisconsin died before the outbreak was declared over.
Gills Onions is a processor of fresh-cut produce — primarily onions — located in Oxnard, California. The company sells products to foodservice operators, institutions, and retailers across the United States and Canada. In October 2023, CDC identified a multistate cluster of Salmonella infections with a matching genomic profile. FDA's traceback investigation identified diced yellow onions, diced onions & celery, diced mirepoix, and diced red onions processed by Gills Onions as the common exposure point.
FDA collected water, environmental, and product samples from the farm that supplied the contaminated onions. Six samples from the farm tested positive for Salmonella, and Whole Genome Sequencing confirmed the isolates matched the outbreak strain causing illnesses in multiple states. Gills Onions initiated the recall on October 23, 2023, covering products distributed to foodservice customers and institutional buyers nationwide and to retailers in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. The recalled products had use-by dates in August 2023, indicating they had already largely been consumed before the recall.
As of December 4, 2023, CDC reported 80 confirmed cases from 23 states, with 18 hospitalizations and 1 death from Wisconsin. The FDA investigation concluded and the recall was terminated after investigation. No warning letter or consent decree was publicly announced in connection with this specific outbreak.
Primary Source: Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella: Onions (October 2023) | FDA
How Crucible Prevents This
Agricultural water contamination is the leading identified pathway for produce-associated Salmonella outbreaks. The FDA's FSMA Produce Safety Rule (21 CFR Part 112) requires farms supplying to processors like Gills Onions to test agricultural water and maintain records. Crucible's supplier verification protocol enforced as a documented DECISIONS checkpoint would require the processing facility to confirm receipt and review of supplier farm water test results before accepting raw onion lots for processing. Six positive environmental samples confirmed at the farm indicate a failure in the agricultural water management and monitoring program.
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