Onion Importer Sued by Salmonella Victims

The first lawsuit has been filed seeking damages against an Idaho company on behalf of one of about 650 people sickened by a strain of Salmonella in onions imported from Chihuahua, Mexico.

The outbreak hospitalized 129 people in 37 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The largest number of illnesses was reported in Texas and Oklahoma. FDA has identified ProSource Produce of Hailey, Idaho, and Keeler Family Farms of Deming, New Mexico, as suppliers of the “potentially contaminated” onions.

Both companies have recalled onions shipped during July and August (FDA’s traceback investigation is continuing).

The primary plaintiff in the lawsuit, Terry McLean, began experiencing diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, nausea, dehydration, and heart issues after eating a hot dog with onions in Pinehurst, North Carolina. The lawsuit also names the café.

Food poisoning attorney, Ron Simon, has teamed up with Peterson Lawyers in Boise, Idaho, on the lawsuit in Idaho state court.

EDITOR’S TAKE:

This is a potentially big deal that could lead to not only payment of claims, but eventually to changes in import standards or testing for products like onions. Trade agreements, such as NAFTA and the USCMA, can help improve cross-border phytosanitary inspections and regulations, but it cannot totally eliminate issues such as the onion health threat from salmonella. This will take a bite out of the onion industry in the short-term, but stricter standards, increased inspections and better paper trails should reduce the risk of this happening in the future.