The FDA is weighing in on the Chipotle and QDOBA Salmonella jalapeño outbreak that has sickened at least 345 people in 27 states. Half of the patients ate at Chipotle and QDOBA restaurants, as well as other Mexican-style restaurants, in seven of those states.
The case count by state is: Alabama (1), Arkansas (1), California (1), Colorado (110), Georgia (6), Illinois (30), Indiana (6), Kansas (13), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (1), Michigan (4), Minnesota (110), Missouri (7), Montana (5), North Carolina (3), North Dakota (1), Nebraska (5), Ohio (2), Oklahoma (8), South Carolina (5), Tennessee (3), Texas (3), Utah (1), Virginia (2), Washington (1), Wisconsin (9), and Wyoming (6). The patient age range is from less than 1 to 85 years. Illness onset dates range from June 19, 2026 to July 20, 2026. Thirty-six people have been hospitalized because they are so sick. There is no explanation why Minnesota and Colorado have the highest number of cases.
The FDA has conducted traceback and found that fresh jalapeños that were imported from Sinaloa, Mexico that were distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors to wholesalers and restaurants are the likely source of this outbreak. We don’t know if these peppers were distributed to grocery stores, but the FDA is trying to determine if they were.
Of the 191 people who have been interviewed by public health officials, 177, or 93%, said they ate at a Mexican-style restaurant before they got sick. Chipotle and QDBOA were mentioned in those interviews.
Chipotle switched their jalapeño supplier for affected restaurants starting on July 20, 2026. QDOBA stopped serving these jalapeños on July 28, 2026. The FDA does not consider eating at these restaurants to be a current ongoing risk to the public.
Coast Citrus Distributors is recalling the remaining jalapeños implicated in the outbreak. They are no longer importing the peppers from the grower in Mexico. For consumers, if you don’t know where the peppers you bought came from, throw them out. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
If you ate jalapeños at any Mexican-style restaurant and have been ill with the symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning, see your doctor. You may be part of this outbreak.
