Jalapeños linked to Salmonella outbreak in 27 states; including Wisconsin
Jalapeños linked to Salmonella outbreak in 27 states
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and public health officials in several states, including Wisconsin, are investigating a multistate Salmonella outbreak linked to jalapeños.
MILWAUKEE - Wisconsin ranks in the top five among all states that have reported cases of salmonella. According to the CDC, the outbreak is linked to jalapeños.
Major food companies, Chipotle and Qdoba, have already issued immediate recalls.
Salmonella outbreak
What we know:
The CDC said cases span 27 states, with at least 345 people infected. Colorado and Minnesota have the highest number of cases, as both states surpass 110 cases. Illinois is third, with at least 30 cases. Wisconsin remains in the top five, at nine cases.
Epidemiologic and traceback evidence identified jalapeno peppers grown in Sinaloa, Mexico, and distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors as the source of the outbreak.
Chipotle and Qdoba said they stopped serving affected jalapenos after being notified of the outbreak and replaced them with product from different growers.
Organic jalapeno peppers, at the Farmers Market, Santa Barbara, California. (Photo by: Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
"Out of an abundance of caution, we proactively removed the jalapeños from our restaurants and replaced them with product from different growers," Chipotle said.
Because both chains removed the product from their restaurants, the CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said they "do not consider there to be a current ongoing risk from these establishments to consumers in this outbreak."
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No deaths are reported at this time. The CDC said, despite the low numbers relative to population size, "the true number of sick people is likely much higher than the number reported. This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella."
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s reporter and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the CDC, Chipotle, Qdoba, Coast Citrus Distributors and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.