Jalapeño recall : FDA issues strongest warning across 27 states - Newsweek

Federal regulators on September 15 placed 23 Taylor Fresh Foods products containing recalled jalapeños in Class I, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s most serious recall category, over possible salmonella contamination.

The recall covers 223,056 units, according to a Newsweek calculation of quantities listed in FDA enforcement records.

Affected items include fresh jalapeños, guacamole, salsa, dips, a sandwich, a shrimp salad and large food-service containers distributed across 27 states, one more than the 26 states named in the company’s original recall announcement because North Carolina appears in the enforcement records but not in the announcement.

According to FDA enforcement records, the recalled products were distributed in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

All 23 FDA records identify Taylor Fresh Foods Inc. (operating as Taylor Farms) as the recalling firm, although some products were distributed or sold under other major businesses' names.

Newsweek reached out to Taylor Fresh Foods Inc. via email for comment.

The classification sharpens an ongoing consumer warning tied to a Salmonella outbreak that had caused 431 illnesses and 57 hospitalizations across 32 states as of August 21, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Shoppers should check refrigerated dips, salsas, prepared meals and bulk food-service containers sold through several major retailers, then discard or return affected items.

Hover over a state on the map below to see its reported range of illnesses linked to the jalapeño salmonella outbreak. The map shows where patients lived, not necessarily where exposure occurred.

Taylor Fresh Foods initiated the voluntary recall on August 7 and publicly announced it two days later, after being notified that supplier Coast Citrus Distributors was recalling fresh jalapeños over potential salmonella contamination.

FDA traceback work identified that grower as the likely source of the wider outbreak. Federal enforcement records now list recalls covering more than 223,000 units under Event ID 99611.

All remain marked “ongoing” and were classified as Class I. The FDA uses that category when exposure carries a reasonable probability of serious adverse health consequences or death. That designation describes the potential hazard, not evidence that every package was contaminated or that every listed food caused an illness.

Package codes and quantities vary by state, so shoppers should consult the FDA enforcement listing if a name and size match.

Spicy Jalapeño Jarlsberg Dip had the largest documented quantity, with 832 units listed in Kentucky and 59,313 in Texas. Spicy Pimento Cheese Dip followed with 421 in Kentucky and 56,028 in Texas.

Walmart distributed 3,920 units of Mild Pico De Gallo in Florida, 5,264 in Kentucky, and 19,920 in Texas. Its hot counterpart accounted for 1,344, 2,128 and 7,168 units in those states, respectively.

A Spicy Roast Beef Sandwich distributed by Kroger had 255 units in Tennessee and 20,055 in Texas.

The CDC recorded cases in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Taylor Farms is significant because its prepared-food network puts ingredients into many products sold under retailer brands rather than its own name. The August company notice covered items sent to distribution centers serving Hannaford, Kroger, Stop & Shop, Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart and Whole Foods.

Public attention was already focused on the company after federal investigators associated a separate cyclospora outbreak with processed iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico. The CDC declared that outbreak over on September 11 after recording 12,883 illnesses, 570 hospitalizations and two deaths across 21 states.

That does not, however, establish that the two events had the same cause or that the current jalapeño contamination originated at a Taylor Farms facility.

Anyone with a recalled item should not eat it. The CDC advises throwing it away or returning it, then washing containers, utensils and surfaces that may have touched it with hot, soapy water or in a dishwasher.

Salmonella commonly causes diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. Symptoms can begin six hours to six days after infection, and most people recover within four to seven days. Medical advice should be sought promptly for bloody diarrhea, fever above 102 degrees, persistent symptoms, uncontrolled vomiting or signs of dehydration.

Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly and Sam Wilson.