Listeria Contamination in Chopped Onions and Celery

Gills Onions, LLC, located in California, has announced the recall of one day’s production of diced and slivered onions, as well as a mix of diced onions and celery, due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

The company issued their recall after being notified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that a random sample of diced yellow onions tested positive for Listeria.

As a result, the company has decided to recall all foods processed with the contaminated onions.    The products were shipped between July 2 and 4, 2012 under the name “Gills Onions.”  The products were distributed to retailers in Canada, California, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Washington.

Exposure to Listeria monocytogenes can cause a bacterial infection known as Listeriosis.  Listeriosis is typically not life-threatening for individuals with a strong immune system, and side effects may include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. 

However, for children, the elderly, and individuals with a weak immune system, Listeriosis can result in death if the infection is severe. Listeriosis can also lead to miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

“EMSL Analytical is one of the nation’s leading food testing laboratories,” states EMSL’s National Food Microbiology Supervisor, Joy Dell’Aringa, M.S., R.M. (N.R.M.), C.F.S.P. “Companies on the west coast have been using EMSL Analytical in San Leandro and South Pasadena, CA for Listeria testing, in addition to other foodborne pathogens, for many years”

For more information about EMSL’s food testing division, please contact EMSL at 800-220-3675, info@EMSL.com , or visit www.EMSL.com or www.foodtestinglab.com.

About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical is a full service testing company providing quality lab services under the same private ownership since 1981. Including the corporate lab facility in Cinnaminson, NJ, EMSL Analytical operates over thirty laboratories nationwide in the US and Canada. We provide analytical services for environmental, indoor air quality (IAQ), industrial hygiene, forensics and materials science, consumer products, food safety, PCR, pharmaceutical, asbestos, lead, and radiological samples. The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations, as well as state and federal regulating bodies.

Contact Information

Joseph Frasca

Senior Vice President of Marketing

EMSL Analytical

(1) 1-800-220-3675

jfrasca@emsl.com