The FDA has posted an Executive Summary report on an investigation into Salmonella infections traced to jalapeño peppers. The agency continues to refuse to name the supplier or grower of the peppers.
The outbreak was first reported to the Food and Drug Administration on July 10 by its Minneapolis District Emergency Response Coordinator of an emerging cluster of Salmonella Javiana cases with a signal for Chipotle Mexican Grill.
Ultimately the outbreak sickened 488 people across 38 states with 26 of the patients requiring hospitalization. No deaths were reported.
There were likely many more people sickened in the outbreak than were reflected in the official count. This is because some people do not seek medical attention and others are not specifically tested for Salmonella infection. The CDC estimates that for every patient identified in a Salmonella outbreak there are 29 who go undetected.
Initially the outbreak was associated with Chopitle and QDOBA restaurants, but FDA investigators found that jalapeño peppers sold at retail locations were also a source of the Salmonella.
During the initial phase of the investigation and continuing through to its end, the FDA found jalapeño peppers imported by Coast Citrus Distributors of San Diego, CA, to be the outbreak vehicle. The names of the supplier, grower and ranch the peppers were grown on in Sinaloa, Mexico, were redacted in the FDA’s executive summary.
“In addition to issuing three assignments for traceback record collection, between 9/7-9/15/2026, an FDA team conducted an inspection at (redacted). A 483 was issued noting personnel, sanitation, and cross-contamination issues,” the executive summary states.
Between July 27 and Sept. 10, FDA collected two jalapeno pepper retail samples associated with QDOBA and Chipotle locations of interest an environmental sample, and four dead-end ultrafiltration (DEUF) water samples from (redacted).
State officials and Chipotle Mexican Grill HQ also collected retail samples of produce items from Chipotle locations of interest. All samples were negative for Salmonella.
On July 22, Coast Citrus Distributors initiated a limited recall of jalapeno peppers, which was expanded on Aug. 5, to include all remaining jalapeno peppers imported from (redacted).
“On 9/24/2026, (redacted) was added to the red list of Import Alert 99-35, detention without physical examination of fresh produce that appears to have been prepared, packed or held under insanitaiy conditions,” according to the executive summary.
“Due to strong epidemiological association and traceback convergence, jalapeno peppers distributed by Coast Citius Distributors, supplied by (redacted) and grown by (redacted) at (redacted) ranch were confirmed as the outbreak vehicle.”
