Amid a massive Cyclospora outbreak linked to its iceberg lettuce, Taylor Farms is now recalling products containing jalapeños, which were linked last week to a large, multi-state Salmonella outbreak.
On Sunday, August 9, Taylor Farms recalled jalapeño-containing products, including diced jalapeños, dips, salsas, pico de gallo, guacamole, and pre-made salads, burritos, and sandwiches. The foods, which include both branded and unbranded products, were sold across 26 states at major retailers, including Hannaford, Kroger, Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, and Whole Foods.
The recalled products contain recalled jalapeños from Coast Citrus Distributors, which was linked last week to a Salmonella outbreak that has infected at least 345 people across 27 states, sending at least 36 people to the hospital. No deaths have been reported.
According to the Food and Drug Administration’s outbreak notice, illnesses started being reported on June 19. Outbreak investigators interviewed 191 cases, and of those, 177 reported eating at Mexican-style restaurants, including Chipotle and Qdoba. Chipotle stopped using jalapeños from Coast Citrus on July 20, and Qdoba similarly ditched the peppers on July 28.
On Wednesday, August 5, the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the outbreak and identified Coast Citrus Distributors as the source of suspect jalapeños, which were grown in Sinaloa, Mexico. The FDA said that Coast Citrus had distributed the peppers to other food distributors, restaurants, and food service companies and that Coast Citrus was “in the process of identifying and contacting affected customers.”
It’s unclear why it took Taylor Farms several days to identify that some of its products contained the recalled jalapeños. Ars Technica has asked Taylor Farms about when it realized it was affected by the recall and if it did so because Coast Citrus contacted the company. We will update this story if Taylor Farms responds.
Taylor Farms’ record
Taylor Farms, based in Salinas, California, is a major distributor of fresh produce in the US. It has recently been in headlines for its connection to an ongoing, 47-state outbreak of the parasite Cyclospora. Taylor Farms’ Mexican-grown iceberg lettuce, distributed to at least 27 states, has been linked to cases in at least 15 states so far.
In all, at least 22,723 cases of cyclosporiasis (confirmed and probable) have been reported in the US this year, according to the CDC. The total easily sets a record above standard yearly cases, which have been between 2,000 and 5,000 cases in recent years. Over 500 people have been hospitalized, and two people have died in the outbreak.
Taylor Farms has drawn scrutiny for its handling of and communication about the Cyclospora outbreak. It has revised its statement about the outbreak several times, at one point claiming the FDA had apologized to the company, which the FDA denied. Its recall information has been vague; the company has not given the names of retailers and companies that received its lettuce, and it has not reported how much lettuce was recalled.
Further, the company donated to a Trump-backing super PAC, MAGA, Inc, shortly after the administration delayed implementing an FDA rule that would have strengthened regulations for tracing foods through supply chains in the case of such outbreak events. The company also reportedly called the White House directly to try to delay issuing a recall for its lettuce.
Symptoms of cyclosporiasis usually begin about a week after consuming contaminated food or water, but can start as early as two days or take as long as two weeks. The most common symptom is watery, explosive diarrhea, as well as bloating, stomach cramps, gas, nausea, and fatigue.
Symptoms of Salmonella infections begin between six hours and six days after consuming the bacteria. Common symptoms include fever, diarrhea that can be bloody, and stomach cramps. The infection also has a risk of spreading to the urine, blood, bones, joints, brain, and other organs. Salmonella bacteria are the leading cause of foodborne illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths in the US. Children under age 5, the elderly, and people with weakened immune symptoms are most at risk.
