Anne Bucher  |  October 28, 2020

Category: Food

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Woman with food poisoning regarding the Thomson contaminated onions class action lawsuit

Thomson International Inc. has been hit with another class action lawsuit stemming from a large salmonella outbreak in Canada that was allegedly caused by contaminated onions. The outbreak is reportedly the single largest outbreak of foodborne illness in Canada since 2014.

Thomson, which is incorporated in the United States, grows, packs, ships, supplies and sells products to retailers, food service operations, wholesalers, and processors throughout North America.

Among the products Thomson grows and packs are several varieties of onions, including red onions, yellow onions, white onions, and sweet onions. The onions are sold under several different brand names, including Thomson Premium, TLC Thomson International, Tender Loving Care, El Competitor, Hartley’s Best, Onions 52, Majestic, Imperial Fresh, Kroger, Utah Onions, and Food Lion.

Salmonella Outbreak Leads to Onion Recall

According to the Thomson contaminated onions class action lawsuit, eight public health notices have been issued by the Public Health Agency of Canada over the salmonella outbreak and 10 food recall warnings and notifications have been issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for dozens of recalled onion products.

The Thomson International contaminated onions class action lawsuit defines “unidentifiable onion products” as onions and products containing onions that did not contain information indicating whether or not the onions or onion-containing products were subject to any of the onion recalls.

Thousands of pounds of onions were reportedly recalled due to the salmonella outbreak, and there have reportedly been more than 500 confirmed cases of salmonella in Canada.

Investigations Traced Salmonella Outbreak to Thomson International

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on July 21 that it was investigating a salmonella outbreak which affected 125 people in 15 states. On July 24, PHAC announced that it was investigating a salmonella outbreak in 5 provinces, and noted that the CDC’s investigation involved a strain with a similar genetic fingerprint to the outbreak in Canada.

On July 30, PHAC released an update informing consumers that red onions imported from the United States were the likely source of the salmonella outbreak. The same day, CFIA issued a Class 1 food recall warning for “Imperial Fresh” brand red onions after determining that there is a high risk that consuming the product may lead to significant health problems or death.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on July 31 that Thomson International was likely the source of the contaminated red onions and recommended that all Thomson onions, unidentified onions and onion-containing products should be discarded.

On Aug. 1 the CFIA subsequently issued a Class 1 food recall warning for red, yellow, white, and sweet onions grown by Thomson that were imported since May 1. Thomson announced a recall of the onions because of possible salmonella contamination.Onions regarding the Thomson Internation contaminated onions recall class action lawsuit

Plaintiffs: Thomson’s Negligence Contributed to Salmonella Outbreak

Plaintiffs Amber Furniss and Noreen Raja allege that Thomson International was negligent with regard to its food safety practices and failed to adequately test for salmonella contamination. They accuse Thomson of misrepresenting that its onion products were fit for human consumption.

Furniss, who resides in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, says she purchased recalled onion products and consumed them in July. She subsequently became ill and suffered from abdominal pain, dizziness and nausea. When she learned of the salmonella outbreak and onion recalls in early August, she stopped consuming the onion products and decided to only purchase onions that were grown in Canada.

Raja, who lives in London, Ontario, says she purchased unidentifiable onion products after May 1, 2020, including onions that were not individually labeled. After learning of the salmonella outbreak and onion recalls, she disposed of the unlabeled onions that she had purchased and changed her shopping habits to avoid purchasing onions.

Both Furniss and Raja claim that they suffered losses, damages and/or injuries as a result of Thomson’s wrongful acts and omissions.

Furniss and Raja filed the contaminated onion class action lawsuit against Thomson on behalf of themselves and a proposed Class of Canadians, except Quebec residents, who consumed the recalled onion products and suffered a physical illness or injury, purchased recalled onion products for non-commercial consumption, or who purchased unidentifiable onion products for consumption since May 1, 2020 and disposed of the products after receiving notice that onions and products containing onions had been recalled due to possible salmonella contamination.

Family members of individuals who became ill are also included as potential Class Members.

The contaminated Thomson onions class action lawsuit seeks general, special and statutory damages; punitive and aggravated damages; pre- and post-judgment interest; costs of the action; and any other relief that the court determines is appropriate.

This is not the first contaminated onion lawsuit that has been filed. A Canadian woman living in the United States sued Thomson after she allegedly became ill from the contaminated onions.

A couple of other contaminated onions class action lawsuits are also underway in Alberta and Québec

Has the onion recall in Canada changed your shopping habits? Let us know in the comment section below.

The plaintiffs are represented by Daniel E.H. Bach, Madeline A. McKinnon and James E. Boyd of Siskinds LLP.

The Thomson International Contaminated Onions Class Action Lawsuit is Amber Furniss, et al. v. Thomson International Inc., Case No. CV-20-00001546-00CP, in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Canada. 

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3 thoughts onThomson International Served Class Action Lawsuit Over Contaminated Onions

  1. Ross Beausejour says:

    We threw out 2 bags at that time for fear of getting sick.

  2. Gina says:

    After hearing about the recall, my mother and I both threw out the onions we had as we couldn’t ID them…just to be safe.
    We now make sure it they are local. It’s more expensive for her as a senior but, its safer.

  3. karen kenny says:

    Sign me up .

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