Fred Meyer Stores is recalling cheese dips sold in their delis because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

On July 31, the company was notified by supplier Onions 52 that it had received red, yellow, and white onions from Thomson International, Inc., which had been implicated in the salmonella-related outbreak. On Aug 1, bulk onions sourced from Thomson International, Inc. were removed from sale in stores that had been identified as receiving the affected product. Subsequently, it was determined that several in-store made cheese dips may have used red onions from the produce department as an ingredient.

Consequently, these items have been removed from store shelves and the company has initiated its customer recall notification system that alerts customers who may have purchased recalled products through register receipt tape messages and phone calls.

Customers who have purchased the product described above should not consume it and should return it to a store for a full refund or replacement. Additional questions can be directed to Kroger Customer Connect at (800) 576-4377.

Fred Meyer offers one-stop shopping at its 132 multi-department stores in four western states. It employs more than 38,000 in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

Others who become infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis, and arthritis. No customer illnesses have been confirmed to date.

The recalled dips, which are in plastic containers, were sold between May 15, 2020, and August 6, 2020. Items impacted include:

(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)