Jalapeños linked to U.S. salmonella outbreak traced to Mexican farm and distributor

Federal officials have traced jalapeño peppers linked to a multistate salmonella outbreak to a grower in Sinaloa, Mexico. The outbreak has sickened at least 345 people across 27 states, with Minnesota and Colorado reporting the highest numbers of cases. While 36 individuals have been hospitalized, no deaths have been reported.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified Coast Citrus Distributors as the company that imported the chili peppers into the U.S. The company has since recalled the affected jalapeños and is in the process of notifying its customers, which include several prominent Mexican food restaurant chains.

Investigations revealed that 93% of the 191 people interviewed in connection with the outbreak reported eating at a Mexican-style restaurant, such as Chipotle Mexican Grill and Qdoba, between June 14 and July 14. Both Chipotle and Qdoba have proactively removed jalapeños from their menus in response to the outbreak. Health officials stated that these actions mean neither establishment currently poses an ongoing risk to consumers.

Salad chain Sweetgreen also removed jalapeños from its menu, citing customer concerns about fresh produce, following a separate cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce that impacted their July sales. The Food and Drug Administration is investigating whether any of the contaminated jalapeños were distributed to grocery stores and may announce further recall actions.

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Given their actions to remove product from their stores, neither of these establishments are considered a current ongoing risk to consumers in this outbreak.