Salmonella may enter the human body through contaminated water or food. In this case, the bacterium was spread via tainted onions grown by Thomson International. The company harvested and packed the onions in California and Arizona before shipping them to grocery stores across the country. In addition to eating raw onions, there are other ways for someone to get Salmonella from an onion: by touching metal surfaces that have been exposed to raw onions, and then eating something without washing your hands first. Being sick after eating at a restaurant might be cause for concern if they didn't wash their hands before preparing your meal. If you are concerned about contamination with salmonella from raw onions, then it's best to avoid eating them altogether. However, for those who do eat them, cleaning and cooking raw onions properly can help reduce the risk of getting sick.