Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The Food and Drug Administration has blamed red onions from a company in California on an outbreak of salmonella that has sickened nearly 400 people.
The agency said Friday the infections in 31 states have been traced to Thompson International in Bakersfield, Calif.
"Although the investigation has determined that red onions are the likely source of this outbreak, Thomson International, Inc. has notified FDA that it will be recalling all varieties of onions that could have come in contact with potentially contaminated red onions, due to the risk of cross-contamination," the FDA said.
The company recalled all red, white, yellow and sweet onions.
The FDA said that if consumers, retailers or restaurants are unable to tell if their onions are from Thompson International, they should throw the produce out.
The Public Health Agency of Canada is also investigating a salmonella outbreak that has a similar genetic fingerprint to the one in the United States. The agency said it determined the outbreak is linked to red onions from the United States.
Of the 396 reported illnesses, 59 people were hospitalized. There have been no deaths linked to the outbreak. California had the most cases at 49, followed by Montana at 33 and Michigan at 23.
