Taylor Farms is facing a double whammy this summer. Already linked to a widespread cyclosporiasis outbreak from lettuce, the Salinas, California-based produce giant has now expanded a recall of products containing jalapeños contaminated with Salmonella.
The recall stems from peppers grown in Sinaloa, Mexico, and distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors. The FDA says 345 people have fallen ill and 36 have been hospitalized. Illnesses began as early as June 19 and continued through July 20.
Earlier this month, 110 people got sick after eating jalapeños at Chipotle locations in Minnesota. Qdoba restaurants pulled the product as a precaution. But the FDA now says there is no ongoing risk from those establishments because they removed the product.
Retailers affected include Hannaford, Kroger, Stop and Shop, Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, and Whole Foods. The recalled items range from pico de gallo and guacamole to various prepared salads and meal kits.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service also issued a public health alert for meat and poultry products that contain the FDA-regulated jalapeños. Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, with symptoms like diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever appearing anywhere from six hours to six days after eating contaminated food.
Jennifer McEntire, founder of food safety consulting firm Food Safety Strategy, emphasizes that the jalapeño situation is very different from the cyclospora outbreak. “The jalapeños came from a separate grower, handled by a different importer that sold them to a number of different entities,” she told CBS News. She called Taylor Farms‘ involvement “an extremely unfortunate coincidence.”
This isn’t the first time Taylor Farms has been in the spotlight. In 2024, the company supplied sliced onions for McDonald's Quarter Pounders that were linked to E. coli, causing one death and over 100 illnesses. The FDA found dozens of violations at a Taylor Farms facility, including dirty equipment. In 2020, the company also recalled onion-containing products due to possible Salmonella contamination.
McEntire acknowledges the public alarm but says the nation’s food supply remains “remarkably safe.” Still, she predicts the industry will respond with greater collaboration. “One person’s issue becomes everyone’s in the produce industry, so expect new efforts around collaboration and sharing of information.”
Consumers are urged not to eat, sell, or serve the recalled products. If you have frozen jalapeños or are unsure of their origin, throw them out. Clean and sanitize any surfaces that may have touched the contaminated product.
