Safety & recalls · 14 Aug
Salmonella outbreak from jalapeños triggers recalls of salsas, guacamole and pico de gallo sold at HEB, Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, Trader Joe's, Kroger, Stop & Shop and Hannaford
An ongoing Salmonella Javiana outbreak is tied to fresh jalapeños grown in Sinaloa, Mexico and imported by Coast Citrus Distributors. As of August 14 the count stands at 345 illnesses in 27 states, 36 hospitalizations and no deaths, with onsets between June 19 and July 20. Of 191 sick people interviewed, 93% had eaten at a Mexican-style restaurant; Chipotle switched jalapeño suppliers on July 20 and QDOBA stopped using jalapeños on July 28, so the FDA no longer considers those chains an ongoing risk. The distributor has recalled the remaining product and stopped importing from the common grower.
The recall has now reached supermarket shelves. NatureBest Precut & Produce recalled NatureBest- and HEB-brand pico de gallo, stuffed mushrooms, soup mix and diced jalapeño sold in Texas and Louisiana between July 3 and August 5. Whole Foods recalled salsas, guacamole, pico de gallo and prepared foods sold in its Produce and Prepared Foods departments in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky and Ohio, with best-by dates of 8/7/2026 through 8/16/2026. Stores reported to have received affected product include Hannaford, HEB, Kroger, Stop & Shop, Target, Trader Joe's, Walmart and Whole Foods.
If you have any of these products, check the UPC and lot codes (the recalled range is 190A26184 through 190A26216, full tables on the FDA page) and the best-by dates, then discard or return them. Salmonella symptoms — diarrhea, fever, cramps — typically appear 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food and last four to seven days; children under five, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are most at risk of severe illness. The investigation is ongoing and the advisory will be updated as further downstream recalls are announced.