A Salmonella Jalapeño outbreak has sickened at least 345 people in 27 states, according to the CDC. Half of those people ate at Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants and QDOBA locations in seven states. The peppers were imported from Sinaloa Mexico and distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors.
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.
This outbreak has exploded overnight. Yesterday there were reports from the Minnesota Department of Health that 110 people had been sickened in that state after eating jalapeños at Chipotle restaurants. Today 26 more states and 235 more patients were identified. The pathogen is Salmonella Javiana.
Of the 191 people who gave information to public health officials, 177, or 93%, said they ate at a Mexican-style restaurant before they got sick, including Chipotle and QDOBA. Meal dates range from June 14 to July 14, 2026.
Many of these patients have been identified as part of illness clusters, which are defined as two or more people who don’t live in the same household who said they ate at the same restaurant, attended a common event, or shopped at the same grocery store location. There are 27 illness clusters identified at Chipotle and QDOBA locations. Commonly reported ingredients eaten include jalapeño peppers, red onion, cilantro, and avocado.
Whole genome sequencing showed that bacteria from sick people’s samples are closely related genetically. This means that the people in this outbreak likely got sick from eating the same food.
The FDA conducted a traceback investigation based on where sick people ate. A common grower of jalapeños in Sinaloa, Mexico that supplies to Coast Citrus Distributors was identified as the likely source.
Coast Citrus Distributors has agreed to recall the jalapeño peppers in question; they were mostly sold to restaurants or wholesale distributors. The FDA is trying to determine if any of these jalapeños were sold in grocery stores. Chipotle and QDOBA stopped serving the affected jalapeño peppers after being notified about the outbreak. The CDC and FDA do not consider that there is an ongoing risk to consumers from these restaurants.
If you have eaten jalapeño peppers recently, whether at restaurants or at home, and have been ill with the symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning, see your doctor. You may be part of this Salmonella jalapeño outbreak.
