Overview
- Federal investigators, which publicly linked the outbreak on Aug. 5, say 345 people in 27 states have been infected with Salmonella Javiana and 36 people have been hospitalized with no deaths reported.
- Coast Citrus Distributors agreed to recall jalapeños imported from Sinaloa, Mexico, after traceback tied the strain to peppers the company shipped to restaurants and wholesalers.
- Major chains removed the product early in the probe, with Chipotle switching suppliers on July 20 and Qdoba removing jalapeños on July 28, and regulators say those restaurants are not considered an ongoing risk now that the peppers were pulled.
- Downstream suppliers and retailers have begun voluntary recalls and alerts, including Taylor Farms/Direct Roots, Albertsons, Jewel-Osco and a USDA FSIS public-health notice for meat products containing jalapeños, and more product pulls are expected as tracing continues.
- Public-health guidance urges consumers to discard recalled jalapeños, seek care for severe symptoms such as high fever or dehydration, and highlights that produce traceback gaps can cause wide supply-chain ripple effects and legal claims like the recent lawsuit filed against Chipotle.