topic Re: How do you get salmonella from an onion..... in Kitchen

How do you get salmonella from an onion.....

hopi — Sat, 08 Aug 2020 11:09:52 GMT

......or any skinned or layered fruit or veggie. It would seem that when you cut the outside 2 layers off and into the onion bacteria would not be present.

Re: How do you get salmonella from an onion.....

CalminHeart — Sat, 08 Aug 2020 11:18:31 GMT

@hopi wrote:
......or any skinned or layered fruit or veggie. It would seem that when you cut the outside 2 layers off and into the onion bacteria would not be present.

It was likely contaminated during processing. Perhaps the machines had been used before with meat or some other product that carried the bacteria.

Bacteria grows a number of ways and can penetrate layers. If I gave you 20 onions and told you 2 had salmonella, would you eat any of them?

Re: How do you get salmonella from an onion.....

Mz iMac — Sat, 08 Aug 2020 11:21:36 GMT

Per AARP......

"“For fruits and vegetables, Salmonella contamination typically occurs due to poor agricultural practices including the usage of improperly treated manure, contaminated irrigation water, food handlers don't wash hands, etc.," says John Gibbons, an assistant professor in the University of Massachusetts Amherst's Department of Food Science."

Re: How do you get salmonella from an onion.....

itsmagic — Sat, 08 Aug 2020 11:29:06 GMT

I’ve heard that the onion itself can be contaminated while removing the skin such as from the surface it is laying on, your hands or from a knife cutting the end off before peeling. I remember when melon was the culprit of salmonella and they said to wash the outside of the melon with soap and water before cutting the skin off.

Re: How do you get salmonella from an onion.....

KingstonsMom — Sat, 08 Aug 2020 12:04:41 GMT

Commonly caused by salmonella present in the water used in growing the onions.

Re: How do you get salmonella from an onion.....

gardenman — Sat, 08 Aug 2020 12:07:30 GMT

@Mz iMac wrote:
Per AARP......

"“For fruits and vegetables, Salmonella contamination typically occurs due to poor agricultural practices including the usage of improperly treated manure, contaminated irrigation water, food handlers don't wash hands, etc.," says John Gibbons, an assistant professor in the University of Massachusetts Amherst's Department of Food Science."

It can also just be bad luck. If a sick animal poops on or near a plant, that plant can then become contaminated. When that plant is harvested and tossed into a cart/bin of other plants it jostles against them and can spread the contamination. The person or machine that harvested the plant could be contaminated in the process of harvesting and spread it to plants harvested afterwards. Unless you grow food in a sterile lab, there's always going to be a risk of contamination. It just is what it is. It's not always "poor agricultural practices." Bad luck can play a more significant role.

Re: How do you get salmonella from an onion.....

depglass — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 14:20:42 GMT

I've been lead to believe the water used for irrigation is contaminated with fecal waste of neighboring farms.

Re: How do you get salmonella from an onion.....

Rockycoast — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 15:19:24 GMT

Possible contamination from sewage sludge that the farmers use for fertilizer.

Re: How do you get salmonella from an onion.....

shoesnbags — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 18:00:14 GMT

@depglass wrote:
I've been lead to believe the water used for irrigation is contaminated with fecal waste of neighboring farms.

@hopi

So if the contamination is from the water, the onion is contaminated throughout, not just the outer layers.

Re: How do you get salmonella from an onion.....

Sooner — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 21:40:04 GMT

Organic fertilizers also.

@KingstonsMom wrote:
Commonly caused by salmonella present in the water used in growing the onions.

Re: How do you get salmonella from an onion.....

RedTop — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 21:49:20 GMT

I received a letter today from Sam's Club informing me that the 10lb bag of yellow onions I bought a month ago is part of the recall for Salmonella Newport.

Too late, we've already eaten those onions!