At least 1,208 people have been sickened by salmonella in an outbreak linked to onions sold at major grocery stores including Walmart, Kroger, and Trader Joe's

• A Salmonella Newport outbreak linked to onions has now sickened at least 1,208 people across the US and Canada.
• Thompson, International, Inc., which is based in Bakersfield, California, issued a salmonella-related recall of red onions and other potentially contaminated products on August 1.
• A new CDC case map shows that cases have been reported in 47 states, with western states like Oregon, California, Utah, and Montana reporting especially high case counts.
• Recalled products are sold in all 50 states at stores like Walmart, Kroger, Aldi, Trader Joe's, Giant Eagle, H-E-B, Publix, and more.
• The FDA is still investigating the root cause of the outbreak, and in the meantime the FDA, CDC, and other experts recommend throwing out onions if consumers are unable to identify where they came from.

An outbreak of Salmonella Newport linked to onions has sickened at least 1,208 people across the US and Canada, according to updated information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On August 1, Bakersfield, California-based onion supplier Thomson, International, Inc. recalled onions shipped from May 1 to August 1 to restaurants and stores in all 50 states. Thomson International warned that red, yellow, sweet yellow, and white onions may have come into contact with red onions contaminated with salmonella.

On Wednesday, the CDC raised the number of confirmed infections in the US from 640 to 869. As of August 14, the Public Health Agency of Canada said there were 339 confirmed Salmonella cases linked to onions imported from the US. At least 116 people have been hospitalized in the US as of August 18, and at least 48 have been hospitalized in Canada as of August 14.

A CDC case count map shows that the majority of reported cases are concentrated in the western US, with especially high case counts in Oregon, California, Utah, and Montana, although cases have been reported in 27 states. The CDC states that there is a two-to-four-week lag between when a person becomes sick and when they report their illness, so it is possible that additional cases have yet to be accounted for.

Walmart, Aldi, Publix, Giant Eagle, and Trader Joe's have issued their own recalls for onions sold at stores in certain states. Kroger and other grocery chains also issued recalls for cheese dips made with potentially contaminated onions.

Taylor Foods, which supplies chains including Walmart, Kroger, and H-E-B with prepackaged foods, also recalled some of its products. Direct-to-consumer grocery company Imperfect Foods issued a recall for onions purchased before August 2.

The potentially contaminated onions are sold under a number of different brand names, so the FDA recommends throwing out onions if consumers are uncertain if they came from Thomson International. Food safety lawyer Bill Marler told Business Insider in early August, "When in doubt, throw them out."

The FDA is still collecting and analyzing samples as part of its ongoing investigation into the root cause of the outbreak.