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Jalapeño Salmonella Outbreak Expands to Grocery Products Nationwide
Check your fridge and freezer for dozens of salsas and other products
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Key takeaways
- A salmonella outbreak linked to jalapeños has sickened 345 people in 27 states, with 36 hospitalizations reported.
- Recalled jalapeños first linked to Mexican-style restaurants were also used in grocery products, including salsa, guacamole, wraps and prepared meals.
- Consumers who recently ate recalled products and develop symptoms such as diarrhea, fever or stomach cramps should contact a health care provider.
A multistate salmonella outbreak linked to recalled jalapeño peppers first tied to Chipotle Mexican Grill, Qdoba and other Mexican-style restaurants has widened to include dozens of grocery store products made with the same peppers, including salsa, guacamole, dips and prepared meat and poultry items.
So far, 345 people in 27 states have gotten sick and 36 have been hospitalized, with no deaths reported, in illnesses that began between June 19 and July 20, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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The recalled fresh jalapeños were grown in Sinaloa, Mexico, and distributed nationwide to wholesalers, restaurants and food service companies by Coast Citrus Distributors. The Food and Drug Administration said the company has agreed to recall the peppers and is identifying and contacting customers who received them. A grower in Sinaloa that supplies Coast Citrus was identified as the likely source, and the distributor is no longer sourcing from that grower, the FDA said.
The FDA and CDC said there is no ongoing risk to consumers of meals at Chipotle or Qdoba because the chains removed the affected peppers. However, officials warn that recalled grocery products made with the same jalapeños may still be sitting in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers.
The FDA’s investigation remains open, and the agency is working to determine the full distribution of the recalled peppers.
Grocery products recalled, by store
A separate wave of recalls has hit grocery store shelves as investigators traced the jalapeños into packaged foods made further down the supply chain. Two federal agencies are involved: the FDA, which oversees a recall of produce-based items like salsa and guacamole from Taylor Fresh Foods, and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which issued a public health alert for meat and poultry products — including burritos, wraps and prepared bowls, many sold under the Taylor Farms brand — made with the same peppers. FSIS expects the list of affected products to grow as the investigation continues.
Below is what's been recalled at each store, listed alphabetically. Check the full FDA and FSIS recall notices linked at the end of this section for exact dates and product details.
Albertsons
- Ready Meals Beef Barbacoa Bowl
- Ready Meals Chile Lime Rice Chicken Bowl
- Ready Meals Pork Chile Verde Bowl
- Ready Meals Chipotle Chicken Wrap
- States: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas
Dillons
- Deli Kitchen Chipotle Cheddar Chicken Wrap
- States: Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Texas, West Virginia
H-E-B
- Shake Rattle Bowl Southwest Chicken
- Higher Harvest Chicken & Beef Chimichurri
- Higher Harvest Creamy Cilantro Chicken
- Meal Simple Pork Carnitas Bowl
- Meal Simple Chicken & Rice with Cilantro Jalapeño Sauce
- States: Texas
Kroger (including its Private Selection brand and Dillons banner)
- Private Selection Spicy Roast Beef Sandwich
- Spicy Jarlsberg Dip
- Spicy Pimento Cheese Dip
- Deli Kitchen Chipotle Cheddar Chicken Wrap
- Deli Kitchen Cajun Chicken Mashed Potatoes & Corn
- Taylor Farms Chicken Enchilada
- States: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia
RaceTrac
- Southwest Style Salad with Chicken
- States: Alabama, Texas
Randalls
- Ready Meals Beef Barbacoa Bowl
- Ready Meals Chile Lime Rice Chicken Bowl
- Ready Meals Pork Chile Verde Bowl
- Ready Meals Chipotle Chicken Wrap
- States: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas
Stop & Shop
- Pico de Gallo Salsa
- States: Maine, Massachusetts, New York
Target
- Taco Dip
- Mango Pico de Gallo
- Spicy Guacamole
- Pico de Gallo
- Authentic Guacamole
- States: Florida, Ohio, Texas
Tom Thumb
- Ready Meals Beef Barbacoa Bowl
- Ready Meals Chile Lime Rice Chicken Bowl
- Ready Meals Pork Chile Verde Bowl
- Ready Meals Chipotle Chicken Wrap
- States: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas
Hannaford
- Diced Jalapeños
- Rice and Bean Burrito
- Pico de Gallo Salsa
- Taylor Farms Classic Beef Burrito
- Taylor Farms Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Wrap
- Taylor Farms Chicken Verde Burrito
- States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont
H-E-B
- Shake Rattle Bowl Southwest Chicken
- Higher Harvest Chicken & Beef Chimichurri
- Higher Harvest Creamy Cilantro Chicken
- Meal Simple Pork Carnitas Bowl
- Meal Simple Chicken & Rice with Cilantro Jalapeño Sauce
- States: Texas
Kroger (including its Private Selection brand and Dillons banner)
- Private Selection Spicy Roast Beef Sandwich
- Spicy Jarlsberg Dip
- Spicy Pimento Cheese Dip
- Deli Kitchen Chipotle Cheddar Chicken Wrap
- Deli Kitchen Cajun Chicken Mashed Potatoes & Corn
- Taylor Farms Chicken Enchilada
- States: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia
RaceTrac
- Southwest Style Salad with Chicken
- States: Alabama, Texas
Randalls
- Ready Meals Beef Barbacoa Bowl
- Ready Meals Chile Lime Rice Chicken Bowl
- Ready Meals Pork Chile Verde Bowl
- Ready Meals Chipotle Chicken Wrap
- States: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas
Stop & Shop
- Pico de Gallo Salsa
- States: Maine, Massachusetts, New York
Target
- Taco Dip
- Mango Pico de Gallo
- Spicy Guacamole
- Pico de Gallo
- Authentic Guacamole
- States: Florida, Ohio, Texas
Tom Thumb
- Ready Meals Beef Barbacoa Bowl
- Ready Meals Chile Lime Rice Chicken Bowl
- Ready Meals Pork Chile Verde Bowl
- Ready Meals Chipotle Chicken Wrap
- States: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas
Trader Joe's
- Fiesta Style Salad with Shrimp
- States: Texas
Walmart
- Freshness Guaranteed Hot Pico de Gallo
- Freshness Guaranteed Mild Pico de Gallo
- Marketside Southwest Style Salad with Chicken
- States: Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin
Wawa
- Spicy Chipotle Chicken Wrap
- States: Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee
Whole Foods
- Salsa Fresca
- Pico de Gallo (mild and spicy)
- Salsa Roja
- Pineapple Mango Salsa
- States: Illinois, Texas
Consumers who bought any of these products, or others covered by the two recalls, should not eat them. The FDA says refunds are available at the place of purchase; FSIS advises throwing the product away or returning it to the store. Full product lists — including exact use-by dates, establishment numbers and UPC codes — are available on FDA's recall page and in FSIS Public Health Alert.
Restaurants tied to the outbreak
Of 191 people interviewed during the investigation, 93 percent reported eating at a Mexican-style restaurant before becoming sick. Those meals were eaten between June 14 and July 14 and included meals served at Chipotle and Qdoba.
Investigators identified 27 illness clusters associated with locations of the two chains in seven states. The CDC defines an illness cluster as two or more people who do not live together but reported eating at the same restaurant, attending the same event or shopping at the same store before becoming sick.
Cases have been reported in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Jalapeño peppers, red onion, cilantro and avocado were among the ingredients commonly reported by people in the restaurant clusters.
Investigators said Chipotle and Qdoba both received jalapeños imported by Coast Citrus Distributors from Sinaloa. Chipotle began switching to a different jalapeño supplier nationwide on July 20. Chipotle used its ingredient-tracing system to identify peppers from a particular grower and common lot, remove them from the affected restaurants and replace them with peppers from other growers, according to its food safety statement.
Qdoba stopped using the affected peppers on July 28. In an Aug. 5 company statement, the chain said it had removed jalapeños from all its restaurants “out of an abundance of caution” while cooperating with public health authorities.
What consumers should do
The recalled jalapeños were distributed primarily to restaurants and wholesalers, but they also reached grocery shelves through packaged foods made by companies that used the recalled peppers as an ingredient. Consumers can check with the restaurant or store where they shopped, or consult the FDA and FSIS recall notices, to see whether a product they bought is affected.
The FDA recommends carefully cleaning and sanitizing containers, counters and other surfaces that may have touched the peppers to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. Additional instructions are available in the agency’s safe food handling guidance.
Restaurants, distributors and food service companies should not sell or serve recalled peppers and should check with their suppliers if they cannot determine the jalapeños’ source.
Symptoms of a salmonella infection
Most people with salmonella experience diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. Symptoms generally begin six hours to six days after ingesting the bacteria, according to the CDC. Most people recover without treatment within four to seven days.
Adults 65 and older, children younger than 5 and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop severe illness that may require medical treatment or hospitalization.
Contact a health care provider if you recently ate a dish containing jalapeños and developed symptoms of salmonella, the FDA advises.
The CDC recommends seeking medical care for:
- Diarrhea accompanied by a fever higher than 102 degrees
- Diarrhea lasting more than three days without improvement
- Bloody diarrhea
- Vomiting that prevents you from keeping liquids down
- Signs of dehydration, including infrequent urination, dry mouth or throat, or dizziness when standing
The FDA said that its jalapeño outbreak investigation is ongoing and that the advisory will be updated as more information becomes available. FSIS says it also expects to update its public health alert as more affected products are identified. The CDC is posting information on its salmonella outbreak advisory.
This article used AI tools to compile recall data. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.
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