Taylor Farms recalled prepared food products containing jalapeños, expanding food safety actions connected to a multistate Salmonella outbreak in the United States.
The recalled items included jalapeño-containing foods such as diced jalapeños, dips, salsas, pico de gallo, guacamole, salads, burritos and sandwiches. Ars Technica reported that the products were sold under branded and unbranded labels across 26 states through major retailers including Hannaford, Kroger, Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart and Whole Foods. HuffPost, citing Reuters, reported that the company described the action as voluntary and said the foods contained jalapeño peppers tied to a Coast Citrus Distributors recall.
The action followed federal investigation of a Salmonella outbreak linked to jalapeño peppers imported from Mexico. According to the supplied reports, the outbreak had sickened at least 345 people in 27 states and led to at least 36 hospitalizations. No deaths had been reported. The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the outbreak on August 5 and identified Coast Citrus Distributors as the source of suspect jalapeños grown in Sinaloa, Mexico, according to Ars Technica.
Investigators had interviewed 191 people affected by the outbreak, and 177 of them reported eating at Mexican-style restaurants, including Chipotle and Qdoba. Chipotle stopped using jalapeños from Coast Citrus on July 20, and Qdoba stopped using the peppers on July 28. Coast Citrus recalled remaining product and notified customers, while Taylor Farms said it was no longer sourcing peppers from the Sinaloa farmer that supplied Coast Citrus while it looked for alternatives.
Taylor Farms said it was not aware of illnesses linked to its voluntarily recalled products, according to HuffPost. The company, based in Salinas, California, is a large fresh-produce supplier in the United States, and the jalapeño recall came while it was already connected to a separate outbreak investigation involving Cyclospora and iceberg lettuce.
Ars Technica reported that Taylor Farms’ Mexican-grown iceberg lettuce had been linked to cases in at least 15 states and had been distributed to at least 27 states. The same report said the broader U.S. cyclosporiasis outbreak had reached at least 22,723 confirmed and probable cases, with more than 500 hospitalizations and two deaths. The lettuce issue was separate from the Salmonella investigation involving jalapeños, but both placed Taylor Farms under food-safety scrutiny.
Salmonella infections can cause diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. The illness can be more serious for young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems. Symptoms may begin from six hours to six days after exposure. Cyclosporiasis commonly causes watery diarrhea, bloating, stomach cramps, gas, nausea and fatigue, with symptoms often starting about a week after contaminated food or water is consumed.
The recalls highlighted the difficulty of tracing fresh ingredients through distributors, restaurants, prepared-food suppliers and retailers during outbreak investigations. In this case, jalapeños connected to Coast Citrus moved through restaurant and retail channels before Taylor Farms identified prepared items requiring recall.
