CFIA Lab Determines Incorrect Testing Result On Green Onions - Recall Rescinded

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, CFIA, determined that a testing result that resulted in a recall was green onions was wrong.  The Salmonella found was due to cross contamination in the laboratory and not the green onions.  From the notice:

• "On October 18, 2024 Church Brothers Farms voluntarily recalled 1271 cases of Green Onions due to the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. This action was based on information received from the CFIA that a single product sample had tested positive for its presence."
• "Following the positive Salmonella result, the CFIA completed the whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis of the Salmonella isolate, the results of which indicated that the sample could have been cross-contaminated with the laboratory’s positive control strain."
• "After further internal review, the CFIA conclusively determined that cross-contamination had indeed occurred. The CFIA also confirmed that the cross-contamination was an isolated event, and no other samples were affected."

It would be interesting to get more insight on this, especially that this comes more than a month after the initial recall.  Laboratories are not without risk of internal cross-contamination, and safeguards must be in place to ensure the accuracy of results.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/correction-notice-canadian-food-inspection-agency-laboratory-error-incorrectly-resulted-recall
Correction Notice: Canadian Food Inspection Agency Laboratory Error Incorrectly Resulted in Recall of Church Brothers Farms Green Onions – Recall Rescinded-..
Summary
Company Announcement Date:  November 25, 2024
FDA Publish Date:  November 25, 2024
Product Type:  Food & Beverages
Reason for Announcement:  Recall Cancellation Due to False Positive
Company Name:  Church Brothers
Brand Name:  Multiple Brand Names
Product Description:  Green Onions

Company Announcement

“Church Brothers, LLC has canceled their recall. For more information, please refer to the link at the end of this page."

Salinas, CA -- November 25, 2024 – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has determined that a laboratory error incorrectly caused the October 18, 2024 recall announcement concerning Church Brothers Farms’ Green Onions. The products from Church Brothers did not contain Salmonella and the recall has been rescinded.

On October 18, 2024 Church Brothers Farms voluntarily recalled 1271 cases of Green Onions due to the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. This action was based on information received from the CFIA that a single product sample had tested positive for its presence. While distribution of this product was limited to a small number of retail and foodservice customers in Canada and USA, Church Brothers acted quickly and in conjunction with both the CFIA and US FDA to ensure rapid compliance with the recall.

Following the positive Salmonella result, the CFIA completed the whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis of the Salmonella isolate, the results of which indicated that the sample could have been cross-contaminated with the laboratory’s positive control strain.

After further internal review, the CFIA conclusively determined that cross-contamination had indeed occurred. The CFIA also confirmed that the cross-contamination was an isolated event, and no other samples were affected.

Given this cross-contamination, the CFIA has rescinded the food recall and removed the notification that was published on the Government of Canada’s Recalls and Safety Alerts website.

“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,” said Megan Chedwick, Vice President of Food Safety, Quality & Regulatory Compliance at Church Brothers Farms. “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 well-being of our consumers.”

This is a correction to the press release issued on October 18, 2024 with the headline of “Church Brothers Farms Recall Green Onions Due to Possible Health Risk.”

Company Contact Information
Church Brothers Farms
Consumer Hotline 877-590-0428
consumerinfo@churchbrothers.com




Link to Original Press Release