Salmonella Outbreak Tied to Mexican Jalapeños Has Sickened 345 People Across 27 States

Chipotle and QDOBA pulled the fresh jalapeños from their supply chains weeks ago, but the FDA's investigation is still open, and 36 people have been hospitalized.

By THRYV Life Desk·Published August 9, 2026·Updated August 9, 2026·5 min read

Salmonella Outbreak Tied to Mexican Jalapeños Has Sickened 345 People Across 27 States

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The takeaway

The FDA is investigating a Salmonella outbreak linked to fresh jalapeños from Sinaloa, Mexico, distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors. As of the agency's August 5 update, 345 people across 27 states have fallen ill and 36 have been hospitalized; no deaths have been reported. Chipotle and QDOBA both switched suppliers in late July after the products were traced to their locations.

The FDA is investigating a multistate Salmonella outbreak traced to fresh jalapeños grown in Sinaloa, Mexico and distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors. The agency's most recent update, published August 5, puts the case count at 345 illnesses across 27 states, with 36 hospitalizations and no deaths reported.

Who was affected

Illnesses were reported to have occurred between June 19 and July 20, 2026. The affected states span from California and Washington to Wisconsin and North Carolina, an unusually wide geographic spread that reflects how far a single distributor's produce can travel through wholesale and restaurant supply chains before a contamination source is identified.

What Chipotle and QDOBA did

Both chains sourced from the implicated distributor and both have since moved off it: Chipotle switched suppliers on July 20, and QDOBA stopped serving jalapeños on July 28. Neither chain has been named by the FDA as the source of the contamination itself — they are named because they were customers of the distributor under investigation.

If you think you were exposed

Symptoms of Salmonella infection, most commonly diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps, typically appear 12 to 72 hours after exposure. The FDA's guidance is not to eat, serve or sell recalled fresh jalapeños traced to Sinaloa, Mexico, and to seek medical attention if symptoms develop.

What we don't know yet

The FDA's investigation remains open, and the agency has not published a specific point of contamination within the growing or distribution chain. This article will be updated if the FDA issues a further advisory or if additional companies are identified as affected.

Sources

This article is original writing by THRYV. We link to primary reporting and official documents rather than reproducing them.

Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella: Jalapeño (August 2026) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration

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Written and edited in-house by the THRYV Life Desk. We do not republish or reword agency copy, and we do not invent quotes, statistics, testimonials or ratings. Where figures move frequently, we point you to the primary release rather than printing a number that will be out of date. Advertising and affiliate partnerships have no influence on our reporting — see our editorial standards, fact-checking policy and affiliate disclosure. Spotted an error? Write to newsroom@thryv-news.com.

General information only. Not personalised financial, medical or legal advice.

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