A recall of green onions has been canceled after it was discovered that salmonella found on the vegetables was a false positive.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) previously found salmonella bacteria in a sample of green onions by Church Brothers Farms.
On October 18, Church Brothers Farms voluntarily recalled 1,271 cases of their green onions as a result, sold under the brands Church Brothers, Imperial Fresh and Trader Joe's.
The onions were sold by Church Brothers Farms, a California-based company, in retail and foodservice outlets across Canada and 11 U.S. states, and customers were urged to discard and not consume the onions.
But after the recall was announced, the CFIA carried out further analysis on the salmonella found on the green onion sample, the results of which indicated that the onions may have been cross contaminated with salmonella from the CFIA's laboratory.
A further internal review confirmed that cross contamination had happened, and the salmonella testing on the green onions had resulted in a false positive.
The CFIA and U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the cancellation of the recall on Monday.
"The safety of our products is Church Brothers' highest priority, and we pride ourselves with having the utmost integrity when it comes to Food Safety Standards," Megan Chedwick, vice president of food safety, quality and regulatory compliance at Church Brothers Farms, said in a statement.
"While we were pleased to hear that our product did not contain the salmonella isolate, we will always act with an abundance of caution when it comes to the health and wellbeing of our customers."
Newsweek has reached out to Church Brothers Farms and the CFIA for comment via email.
Salmonella is a group of bacteria that can cause serious and sometimes fatal food poisoning infections, particularly among young children, frail or elderly people, older adults with underlying medical conditions, and others with weakened immune systems.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that salmonella causes approximately 1.35 million infections in the U.S. every year and is America's leading cause of hospitalizations and deaths linked to foodborne illness.
Salmonella lives in the intestines and fecal matter of people and animals, but it can contaminate food via unwashed hands and contaminated water.
Healthy people infected with salmonella usually experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, and recover after a few days.
Other food recalls currently include meat products that may be contaminated with listeria bacteria, beef tallow that has been labeled unfit for human consumption, and tortilla strips with missing allergen warnings.
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