Whole Foods Recalls Salsa, Guacamole Over Salmonella Risk
The FDA says prepared foods and produce made with jalapeños from Coast Citrus Distributors were sold in 12 states, though no illnesses have been reported.
Whole Foods has recalled certain salsas, guacamole, pico de gallo and other prepared food items after a pepper supplier in Mexico was identified as a possible source of a salmonella outbreak affecting at least 27 states.
The recalled items, listed by the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday, carry "Best Before" or "Best By" dates between Aug. 7 and Aug. 12 and between Aug. 9 and Aug. 14. They come from the grocer's Produce and Prepared Foods departments and contain jalapeños sourced from Coast Citrus Distributors, the FDA said.
The products were sold in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky and Ohio. A full list is posted on the FDA's website. No illnesses have been reported in connection with these products.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began identifying clusters of salmonella cases last month and linked them to jalapeño peppers grown in Sinaloa, Mexico.
Coast Citrus Distributors agreed to recall the affected peppers, the FDA said, and Qdoba and Taylor Farms — the distributor already under investigation over a recent cyclospora outbreak — followed with recalls of their own. Stores that received recalled Taylor Fresh Foods products include Hannaford, Kroger, Stop and Shop, Target, Trader Joe's, Walmart and Whole Foods.
"Given their actions to remove product from their stores, FDA does not consider there to be a current ongoing risk from these establishments to consumers in this outbreak," the agency said.
Salmonella can cause diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps within eight to 72 hours after exposure, according to the Mayo Clinic, which says most healthy people recover within days to a week without treatment.
"Nothing matters more to us than our customers' safety," a Whole Foods spokesperson told CBS News on Monday, after the Amazon-owned chain said it had pulled Taylor Farms products from its shelves. "Customers who purchased any of these products from us should throw them away and contact us for a refund."
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), in accordance with our editorial policy.
