The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 345 people across 27 states have fallen ill in a Salmonella outbreak tied to contaminated jalapeño peppers distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors.
The vast majority (93%) of patients interviewed as part of the public health investigations reported eating at Mexican restaurants before falling ill, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Patients reported the onset of illnesses from June 19 to July 20.
On July 20, Chipotle switched suppliers for jalapeños and stopped serving the potentially contaminated products. Qdoba did the same starting on July 28 , the FDA said.
Both brands issued statements this week explaining the rationale for the product removals.
Chipotle said its ingredient traceability system “identified jalapeños from a particular grower in Sinaloa, Mexico, and distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors as a common ingredient from a common lot, proactively removed them from the restaurants where they had been distributed, and replaced them with product from different growers.”
Qdoba pulled jalapeños from all of its stores “out of an abundance of caution,” according to a Wednesday press release.
The brands are not alone in pulling peppers from their stores. On Thursday, Sweetgreen CEO Jonathan Neman disclosed the salad chain had “removed and discarded all jalapeños from the supplier in the affected areas,” as a precautionary measure.
“Jalapeños are used in only two of our 15 dressings and nowhere else on our menu, representing a very small portion of our sales mix,” Neman said.
The Salmonella incident is the second national epidemic of foodborne illness to strike in 2026. Earlier in July, health authorities linked Taco Bell and Taylor Farms de Mexico to an outbreak of cyclosporiasis tied to shredded iceberg lettuce that has sickened thousands across 15 states.
