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FDA investigates Salmonella outbreak linked to recalled jalapeños, urges consumers not to eat them
Digital Curator
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday said an investigation is underway into a multistate outbreak of Salmonella infections linked to jalapeño peppers distributed to restaurants and food service companies, including popular Mexican-style restaurants in the U.S.
In a safety advisory on Wednesday, the FDA urged consumers, distributors, and food service companies not to eat, serve, or sell recalled fresh jalapeños, which are from Sinaloa, Mexico, and were distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors.
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The FDA’s advisory comes after Chipotle on Tuesday said it was removing jalapeños from some restaurants out of an abundance of caution after identifying the peppers as a potential source of a salmonella outbreak. In that statement, the restaurant chain said it was replacing the potentially compromised peppers with supplies from a different grower.
“As part of our established health and safety protocols, upon learning of a potential outbreak, we immediately initiated our ingredient traceability system and were able to identify jalapeños as a potential common ingredient from a common lot, and the restaurants where it was distributed. Out of an abundance of caution, we proactively removed the jalapeños from our restaurants and replaced them with product from different growers,” said, in part, in a statement on Tuesday.
QDOBA also pulled jalapeños in their stores on July 28, and all QDOBA restaurants aren’t currently serving the peppers, according to the FDA.
In its advisory on Wednesday, the FDA said that epidemiological information collected by the CDC shows that a total of 345 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella have been reported from 27 states.
The FDA says there have been 36 hospitalizations, and that no deaths have been reported.
“Illnesses started on dates ranging from June 19, 2026, to July 20, 2026. Of the 191 people interviewed, 177 (93%) reported eating at a Mexican-style restaurant before their illness, including Chipotle Mexican Grill and QDOBA, with meal dates ranging from June 14, 2026, to July 14, 2026.”
In a statement released Wednesday, QDOBA said it is cooperating with public health authorities amid the investigation.
“We take any report involving guest health seriously and are committed to responding appropriately based on the facts and guidance from public health authorities,” QDOBA said. “Food safety is our highest priority. We maintain rigorous food safety standards and work closely with our suppliers, distribution partners, and restaurant teams to help ensure the safety and quality of the food we serve.”
Because Chipotle and QDOBA removed the products from their store, the FDA said it’s not considering there to be “a current ongoing risk from these establishments to consumers in this outbreak.”
The FDA said it and the CDC are working in collaboration with state and local partners to investigate.
“As part of this investigation, FDA conducted a traceback investigation based on where ill people reported eating during the timeframe of interest, and a common grower in Sinaloa, Mexico, that supplies Coast Citrus Distributors was identified as the likely source in this outbreak,” the FDA’s advisory states.
Coast Citrus Distributors has agreed to recall the remaining product implicated in the outbreak through epidemiological and traceback data. The FDA said the distributor is in the process of identifying and contacting affected customers.
In addition to not eating the peppers, the FDA is advising distributors, restaurants, and food service companies who received recalled fresh jalapeños from Coast Citrus Distributors imported from Sinaloa, Mexico, to “carefully clean and sanitize any surfaces or containers that the product touched.”
Businesses that can’t tell where their jalapeño peppers came from should work with their supplier to determine their source and discard the product if it was jalapeño peppers from Sinaloa, Mexico, and distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors, FDA said.
People who recently dined at a Mexican-style restaurant and have become ill should seek medical care, officials said.
Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections, endocarditis and arthritis.
