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 The products from Church Brothers did not contain Salmonella and the recall has been rescinded.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 the distribution of this product was limited to a small number of retail and food service customers in Canada and the 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Given this cross-contamination, the CFIA has rescinded the food recall and removed the notification that was published on the Government of Canada's Recalls and Safety Alerts website.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 on having the utmost integrity when it comes to Food Safety Standards," said Megan Chadwick, 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 "Church Brothers Farms Recall Green Onions Due to Possible Health Risk."
For more information:
Church Brothers Farms
Tel: +1 877 590 0428
Email: [email protected]
www.fda.gov