The outbreak in the news this week is a Salmonella outbreak, not an E. coli outbreak. It belongs on this blog anyway, because the company at the center of it is the same Idaho sprouter that caused a multistate E. coliO121 outbreak twelve years ago — and because both times, most of the sick people were in Washington.

FDA and CDC reported on September 9 that 22 people in four states have been infected with SalmonellaBovismorbificans from broccoli sprouts grown by Evergreen Fresh Sprouts, LLC of Moyie Springs, Idaho. Two have been hospitalized. Illnesses began between July 7 and August 26, 2026. The company recalled broccoli sprouts on September 4.

Washington has 16 of the 22 illnesses

CDC’s state counts are Washington 16, Montana 4, Idaho 1 and Utah 1. Washington alone accounts for seventy-three percent of the outbreak, and the grower is not even in Washington.

The Washington State Department of Health posted the first public notice on September 2, when the state count was thirteen, spread across seven counties — King, Whatcom, Spokane, Skagit, Snohomish, Walla Walla and Yakima. Washington interviewed twelve of those thirteen patients. Eight reported eating Evergreen sprouts, seven of them broccoli sprouts, and the eighth could not recall the variety. The state count has since grown to sixteen. Montana reported two cases on September 3 and now has four.

In 2014 the same grower caused an E. coli O121 outbreak, and Washington had 11 of the 19

CDC’s final update on that outbreak, issued August 1, 2014, counted 19 people infected with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O121 in six states: Washington 11, Idaho 3, Montana 2, and one each in California, Michigan and Utah. Illnesses began between May 1 and May 20, 2014. Seven of the sixteen patients with available information — forty-four percent — were hospitalized. No one developed hemolytic uremic syndrome and no one died.

The vehicle was raw clover sprouts. Thirteen of sixteen people interviewed had eaten them, against a background rate of no more than eight percent, most of them on sandwiches at Jimmy John’s, Pita Pit and Daanen’s Deli locations in Washington and Idaho. FDA’s traceback found that Evergreen had supplied sprouts to seven restaurants where nine of the sick people ate. Early in the investigation, Washington reported five cases in Spokane County and two in King County, with three more in Kootenai County, Idaho.

FDA inspected the Moyie Springs facility on May 22 and 23, May 27 through 30, and June 6, 2014. The Form 483 from that inspection recorded condensate and irrigation water dripping from rusty valves, tennis rackets with scratches and frayed plastic used to scoop sprouts, and a corroded pitchfork used to move them. No product was recalled in 2014, and the company kept producing clover sprouts from the same seed lot for weeks after the outbreak was announced. Our contemporaneous coverage is here.

The 2026 outbreak is happening in four states. All four of them were in the 2014 outbreak.

Put the two case maps side by side. The 2026 outbreak is in Washington, Montana, Idaho and Utah. The 2014 outbreak was in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah, California and Michigan. Every state with an illness this year had one twelve years ago, from the same grower, from a different variety of sprout, with a different organism.

That is not a coincidence, and it is not evidence of anything sinister either. It is a distribution footprint. A sprouter in the Idaho panhandle sells into the inland Northwest and the markets around it, and when something goes wrong in the growing room, the illnesses land where the trucks go. Washington is the largest market in that footprint, which is why Washington keeps absorbing the majority of the cases.

Two organisms, one process

Sprouts are one of the few foods that will produce outbreaks of Salmonella and E. coli from the same facility, and the reason is the process rather than the organism. Seeds are soaked and then held for days in warm, humid conditions, which is close to an ideal incubator for whatever bacteria arrived on the seed. A few cells on a seed coat become millions in the finished product. Whether those cells are Shiga toxin-producing E. coli or Salmonella is largely an accident of what contaminated the seed lot in the field.

This is why the questions worth asking after a sprout outbreak are almost always upstream questions: what seed lot, from which supplier, treated how, and was the spent irrigation water tested during the runs that made people sick. In this outbreak, none of that is public yet. There is a second sprout outbreak running right now, unrelated to this one and involving a different company, in which three Shiga toxin-producing E. coliserogroups and a Salmonella serotype all came out of alfalfa sprouts traced to a single seed lot. Same lesson, different growing room.

Marler Clark sued this company after the 2014 outbreak

Marler Clark filed four lawsuits over the 2014 E. coli O121 outbreak — two in Washington and two in Idaho — on behalf of people sickened by Evergreen’s clover sprouts. The firm’s pages on that outbreak and the litigation that followed are here and here. The firm is now investigating claims on behalf of people sickened in the current outbreak.

What to do if you ate these sprouts

Do not eat broccoli sprouts grown by Evergreen Fresh Sprouts. The recall covers plastic bags and clamshell containers with expiration dates of 9/7, 9/9, 9/11, 9/14 and 9/16. Throw them out or return them, and wash whatever they touched. Call a doctor for bloody diarrhea, a fever above 102°F, diarrhea lasting more than three days, or signs of dehydration. If you were diagnosed, keep the package or a photograph of it and the receipt, and ask your laboratory or health department to preserve your isolate — whole genome sequencing is what ties one person’s illness to an outbreak strain, and isolates are routinely discarded.

Three questions readers are asking

Why is an E. coli blog covering a Salmonella outbreak?

Because the grower is the same one that caused a 19-person E. coli O121 outbreak in 2014, and because the growing process that produces one organism produces the other. Anyone tracking sprout-borne E. coli has a reason to know this company’s name.

Is the 2026 outbreak related to the 2014 one?

No, not in the sense that matters to an epidemiologist. Different organism, different sprout, twelve years apart. They share a grower, a facility and, to a striking degree, a set of states.

Are the sprouts in stores now safe?

The recalled product carries September expiration dates and should be off the shelves. FDA’s investigation into how the contamination happened is ongoing, and until it reports, the honest answer is that nobody outside the company knows what changed. Raw sprouts of any brand remain a food I tell people to keep away from children under five, adults over sixty-five and anyone with a weakened immune system.

Additional detail on this outbreak, including the case map and the epidemic curve, is in this week’s Marler Blog post. Information on legal claims is at marlerclark.com, or call 1-800-884-9840 for a free consultation.

Salmonella

Salmonella sickens more than a million Americans every year and is the leading cause of hospitalizations and deaths among foodborne bacteria. Its reach is remarkable—it turns up in produce, poultry, pantry staples, and pet food alike. Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading firm representing victims of Salmonella outbreaks. Our Salmonella lawyers have represented thousands of victims in the only U.S. law practice devoted exclusively to foodborne illness, which has recovered more than $850 million for victims and families nationwide. We have tied Salmonella outbreaks to cantaloupe, tomatoes, ground turkey, salami, sprouts, cereal, peanut butter, and restaurant meals, and we have brought cases against Cargill, ConAgra, Peanut Corporation of America, Sheetz, Taco Bell, Subway, and Wal-Mart. The Peanut Corporation of America outbreak ended in federal criminal convictions, with the company’s owner sentenced to twenty-eight years in prison. We are also pressing the federal government to treat Salmonella as an adulterant on raw chicken, so that contaminated poultry can be kept off store shelves the way dangerous E. coli already is.

If you or a family member became ill with a Salmonella infection—including lasting complications such as reactive arthritis or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)—after eating contaminated food, contact the Marler Clark Salmonella attorneys for a free case evaluation.

FAQ

What is Salmonella?

Salmonella is a group of bacteria behind one of the most common—and most deadly—foodborne infections in the United States, sickening more than a million people a year. Symptoms usually begin between 6 hours and 6 days after eating contaminated food and include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps that last four to seven days.

What foods cause Salmonella outbreaks?

Poultry, eggs, ground beef, produce, peanut butter, flour, and even pet food have all caused outbreaks. Salmonella can survive for months in dry, low-moisture foods.

Can a Salmonella infection cause long-term problems?

Yes. Some victims develop reactive arthritis—joint pain and swelling that can persist for months—or irritable bowel syndrome after the initial illness resolves.

Who is most at risk?

Young children, adults over 65, and people with weakened immune systems are the most likely to be hospitalized or to suffer severe, invasive infection.

Can I sue for a Salmonella infection?

If your illness is linked to a contaminated product or a recognized outbreak, you may have a claim against those in the chain of distribution. A stool culture matching the outbreak strain is powerful evidence.

Additional Resources:

As of September 6, 2026, the multistate outbreak of Salmonella Javiana linked to fresh jalapeño peppers has sickened 431 people in 32 states. Fifty-seven have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported. The peppers were grown in Sinaloa, Mexico and imported by Coast Citrus Distributors, LLC of San Diego. Both CDC and FDA still list the investigation as open, and neither agency has updated its page since August 21. Every recalled product has passed its date, so the useful step now is not a refrigerator sweep but a stool culture, if you got sick this summer and were never tested.

The case count

CDC reports 431 confirmed illnesses in AL, AR, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NJ, NM, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WV and WY. Illnesses began between June 19 and August 2, 2026. Patients range in age from under one to 85, with a median age of 30. Fifty-seven of the 376 people with hospitalization information available were admitted, or fifteen percent.

Of 224 people interviewed, 203 — 91 percent — said they had eaten at a Mexican-style restaurant before getting sick, with meal dates running from June 14 to July 16. Investigators identified 28 illness clusters at Chipotle Mexican Grill and QDOBA locations in eight states, according to CDC’s investigation page. The ingredients reported most often in those clusters were jalapeño peppers, red onion, cilantro and avocado.

CDC also says the true number of sick people is likely much higher, because most people with a Salmonellainfection recover at home and are never tested.

The restaurants are not the current risk

Chipotle switched jalapeño suppliers for affected stores beginning July 20, 2026. QDOBA stopped using jalapeños on July 28. FDA and CDC both say that, given those actions, there is no ongoing risk to consumers from those restaurants. The last illness in this outbreak began on August 2, after both chains acted. Neither agency has published what the interviews with those late patients showed.

What was recalled

FDA now maintains a Major Product Recalls page for this outbreak. It lists five downstream recalls by companies that used or repackaged the peppers: NatureBest Precut & Produce (August 8), Taylor Fresh Foods(August 9), Salata Dressings (August 11), Whole Foods Market (August 12), and Dairyland Produce, doing business as Hardie’s Fresh Foods (August 12). USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a separate public health alert for meat and poultry products made with the same peppers.

Those products carried Best If Used By dates up to August 16, 2026, so all of them are now expired. Several grocery chains also issued their own store-level notices that never appeared on the federal list, so a receipt and the store itself are better sources than FDA’s page.

FDA has now disclosed a July 22 recall

When FDA built that recalls page on August 20, it put a fact on the public record for the first time: on July 22, 2026, Coast Citrus initiated a limited recall of jalapeño peppers packaged in bulk generic Coast Tropical packaging. The public heard nothing about this outbreak until August 5, when FDA and CDC issued their advisories. Two weeks separate the first recall from the first public warning.

FDA fixed the grocery-store sentence

Through most of August, FDA’s advisory said Coast Citrus did not appear to supply jalapeños directly to grocery stores. During those same weeks the agency was publishing recalls of five-pound bags of jalapeños sold at two Texas Costco warehouses and of pico de gallo sold under the H-E-B label. That sentence is now gone. The advisory says the peppers went to distributors, wholesalers, manufacturers, restaurants and food service companies nationwide, and that some manufacturers used them in products that went to retail stores. That is the accurate description.

The grower still has no name

FDA’s traceback identified a common grower in Sinaloa, Mexico as the likely source, and FDA said in August that Coast Citrus is no longer importing from that grower. One month later, the farm has not been named publicly. The agency knows who it is. Buyers, importers and the next set of customers do not.

Salmonella symptoms, and when to call a doctor

CDC says Salmonella symptoms usually begin 6 hours to 6 days after swallowing the bacteria: diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, with most people recovering in four to seven days. FDA’s advisory gives a narrower window of 12 to 72 hours. Children under five, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems are the most likely to become severely ill.

CDC says to call a health care provider right away for a fever higher than 102 °F with diarrhea, diarrhea lasting more than two days without improvement, bloody diarrhea, vomiting so severe you cannot keep liquids down, or signs of dehydration.

Ask for a stool culture. A laboratory-confirmed result is what allows public health investigators to connect your illness to an outbreak, and an illness that is never tested is never counted.

Questions we are hearing

Are jalapeños safe to eat now? The recalled peppers are long past their dates and Coast Citrus stopped importing from the implicated grower in early August. Jalapeños on the shelf today are not part of this recall.

I got sick in July but was never tested. Is it too late? A stool culture only works while you are still shedding the bacteria, so a test now may come back negative. Medical records, receipts and restaurant dates still matter. Talk to your doctor, and keep what you have.

Why is the importer the company being sued? The grower is in Mexico and has not been named. Coast Citrus is the U.S. importer of record and the company federal investigators identified as the distributor of the implicated peppers. The first lawsuit in this outbreak named Coast Citrus and no one else.

Our coverage

Bill Marler’s fuller write-up of the outbreak, including the state-by-state table and the daily epidemic curve, is here. Marler Clark filed the first lawsuit in this outbreak on August 14, 2026 in the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois, and represents people sickened by these peppers.

Salmonella

Salmonella sickens more than a million Americans every year and is the leading cause of hospitalizations and deaths among foodborne bacteria. Its reach is remarkable — it turns up in produce, poultry, pantry staples, and pet food alike. Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading firm representing victims of Salmonella outbreaks. Our Salmonella lawyers have represented thousands of victims in the only U.S. law practice devoted exclusively to foodborne illness, which has recovered more than $850 million for victims and families nationwide. We have tied Salmonella outbreaks to cantaloupe, tomatoes, ground turkey, salami, sprouts, cereal, peanut butter, fresh peppers, and restaurant meals, and we have brought cases against Cargill, ConAgra, Peanut Corporation of America, Sheetz, Taco Bell, Subway, and Wal-Mart. The Peanut Corporation of America outbreak ended in federal criminal convictions, with the company’s owner sentenced to twenty-eight years in prison. We are also pressing the federal government to treat Salmonella as an adulterant on raw chicken, so that contaminated poultry can be kept off store shelves the way dangerous E. coli already is.

If you or a family member became ill with a Salmonella infection — including lasting complications such as reactive arthritis or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) — after eating contaminated food, contact the Marler Clark Salmonella attorneys for a free case evaluation.

FAQ

What is Salmonella? Salmonella is a group of bacteria behind one of the most common — and most deadly — foodborne infections in the United States, sickening more than a million people a year. Symptoms usually begin between 6 hours and 6 days after eating contaminated food and include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps that last four to seven days.

What foods cause Salmonella outbreaks? Poultry, eggs, ground beef, produce, peanut butter, flour, and even pet food have all caused outbreaks. Salmonella can survive for months in dry, low-moisture foods.

Can a Salmonella infection cause long-term problems? Yes. Some victims develop reactive arthritis — joint pain and swelling that can persist for months — or irritable bowel syndrome after the initial illness resolves.

Who is most at risk? Young children, adults over 65, and people with weakened immune systems are the most likely to be hospitalized or to suffer severe, invasive infection.

Can I sue for a Salmonella infection? If your illness is linked to a contaminated product or a recognized outbreak, you may have a claim against those in the chain of distribution. A stool culture matching the outbreak strain is powerful evidence.

Additional Resources

Two separate sprout outbreaks are under investigation in the United States right now, and Salmonella is in both of them. Sixteen people in Washington, Montana and Idaho are sick with Salmonella Bovismorbificans after eating broccoli sprouts grown by Evergreen Fresh Sprouts, LLC of Moyie Springs, Idaho. Fifty-five people in fifteen states are sick with Salmonella Agona or one of three strains of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli after eating alfalfa sprouts grown by Everything Sprouts, LLC of Minneapolis. These are two different companies, two different seeds and two different investigations. What they share is where the contamination almost certainly started, and what neither one has yet is a full accounting of where the product went.

Sixteen people are sick from Evergreen Fresh Sprouts broccoli sprouts, and there is still no recall

The Washington State Department of Health posted its outbreak notice on September 2, 2026. Thirteen Washington residents are confirmed with Salmonella Bovismorbificans, with illness onsets running from July 7 through August 18. Two have been hospitalized and no one has died. Of the twelve people investigators were able to interview, eight reported eating sprouts from Evergreen Fresh Sprouts and seven specifically recalled broccoli sprouts. The sprouts were bought at grocery stores and food co-ops and served in restaurants.

Three more people carrying the same strain are counted outside Washington, two in Montana and one in Idaho, for sixteen in all. Montana’s Department of Public Health and Human Services said on September 3 that it expects its own count to rise as additional laboratory testing is finished, and that local sanitarians are contacting stores known to have sold the sprouts so the product can be pulled. Samples from Evergreen and from other suppliers are being tested at the state public health laboratories.

Washington county of residenceCases
King4
Skagit1
Snohomish1
Spokane2
Walla Walla1
Whatcom3
Yakima1
Total13

Washington cases by county of residence as of September 2, 2026 (4 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 3 + 1 = 13). Source: Washington State Department of Health.

Washington’s own summary lists the recall status in a single word: no. Without a recall there are no lot numbers, no best-by dates, no package photographs and no list of stores. The brand name is the only thing a shopper has to go on, and sprouts scooped from a co-op bulk case may not carry one at all. Food Safety Newsreported no recall as of September 3, and none had issued as of this writing.

This is the third Evergreen outbreak in fifteen years

The company name should be familiar. Evergreen was the grower behind a 2011 Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak that sickened twenty-five people in five states, and a 2014 E. coli O121 outbreak that sickened nineteen in six. Across three outbreaks, sixty people have been made sick, and the company has recalled product exactly once, in 2011, after first declining to do so and after FDA took the unusual step of warning the public directly. I laid out that record on Marler Blog on September 3.

Fifty-five people are sick from Everything Sprouts alfalfa sprouts, and the seed supplier has not answered FDA

The other outbreak is the larger one. FDA’s advisory and CDC’s investigation page put it at fifty-five people in fifteen states, four hospitalized, none dead, with onsets from May 31 through August 8. Forty-six were infected with E. coli, seven with Salmonella Agona and two with both. Everything Sprouts recalled its Calco and Everything Sprouts alfalfa sprouts on August 22 and expanded the recall on August 28 to its Robust Radish Sprout Mix.

On August 31 FDA said something more important than the recall expansion. Everything Sprouts alfalfa is one of the sources of illness in this outbreak, but those sprouts do not explain all the illnesses. Traceback found at least one additional sprout grower that received and used the same lot of alfalfa seed from a common seed supplier. FDA recommended that the supplier recall the seed lot and tell its downstream customers to recall the sprouts grown from it. As of FDA’s most recent update, the supplier has not responded to that recommendation, has not sent a recall notice to its customers, and has not instructed the growers who bought the seed to recall anything. Neither the seed supplier nor the second grower has been named publicly. That is where this one stands.

One of these outbreaks is on FDA’s public list. The other is not.

FDA’s table of active outbreak investigations, last modified September 2, carries sixteen active investigations. The alfalfa outbreak is one of them, listed as reference number 1394 with its own advisory attached. There is no row for Salmonella Bovismorbificans and no row for broccoli sprouts. CDC has posted a full investigation page for the alfalfa outbreak and nothing at all on the broccoli one. Phyllis Entis noted the same absence at eFoodAlert on September 4.

In fairness to the agencies, FDA’s table covers investigations its CORE teams are managing, and CDC posts notices for a subset of outbreaks rather than all of them. A three-state outbreak that state epidemiologists have already solved may not need a federal notice to be worked. But three states have now named a company and a product in public, and a consumer who goes looking for confirmation on a federal website will find nothing there. Credit where it belongs: the state and local epidemiologists in Washington, Montana and Idaho found this link and said so.

Both of these outbreaks point back toward seed

Sprouts are grown from seed in warm, humid water over several days. Those are the conditions a grower needs, and they are also the conditions a pathogen needs. A small amount of contamination on the seed can multiply to a dangerous level in the finished product even in a clean facility, which is why sprouts have caused outbreaks for thirty years in operations that pass inspection. It is also why a single seed lot can produce illnesses scattered across states, and, as FDA has now confirmed in the alfalfa outbreak, across more than one company.

The broccoli sprout investigation has not publicly reached the seed yet. What is already clear from FDA’s own records is that sprouts keep coming back: the same table that carries the alfalfa outbreak today lists a closed 2024 E. coli O26:H11 sprout outbreak, a closed 2025 Salmonella Oranienburg sprout outbreak and a closed 2025 Salmonella Anatum outbreak in sprouted beans. Seed treatment and testing of spent irrigation water are the two controls that decide whether that pattern continues.

What to do right now

Do not eat broccoli sprouts from Evergreen Fresh Sprouts, LLC. Throw them away or return them to the store. Because there is no recall, there are no lot codes to check, so treat the brand itself as the identifier, and if you bought loose sprouts from a co-op or ate them on a sandwich or salad, ask where they came from.

Do not eat the recalled Everything Sprouts and Calco products, which include the 5-ounce alfalfa sprout containers in lots 222, 223, 225, 226 and 230, the Crunchy Protein Sprout Mix and Zesty Garlic Mix cups made with the same sprouts, and the Robust Radish Sprout Mix cups in lots 223, 226, 230 and 233. Wash and sanitize anything the sprouts touched, including refrigerator drawers and cutting boards.

If you are pregnant, over sixty-five, under five, or living with a condition that weakens your immune system, the sensible course while a seed lot is still unaccounted for is to skip raw sprouts of any kind. Cooking them through kills the bacteria.

If you are already sick, see a doctor and ask for a stool culture, then ask the laboratory or your health department to preserve the isolate. Whole genome sequencing of that isolate is what connects one person’s illness to an outbreak strain, and isolates are routinely discarded. Keep the package, the receipt, or a photograph of either.

Salmonella

Salmonella is the leading cause of hospitalizations and deaths from foodborne illness in the United States. Most people recover in a week, but the infection can put people in the hospital, and it can leave lasting problems behind, including reactive arthritis and irritable bowel syndrome.

Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Salmonellaoutbreaks. The firm has represented thousands of people in Salmonella cases and has recovered over $850 million for clients. Our lawyers have brought Salmonella cases involving sprouts, eggs, chicken, ground turkey, peanut butter, cantaloupe, cucumbers, onions, papaya, mangoes, flour, cereal and pet food, against defendants including Cargill, ConAgra, Foster Farms, Chipotle, Taco Bell and Peanut Corporation of America. The PCA prosecution ended in criminal convictions and a twenty-eight-year sentence for the company’s owner. We continue to push FDA and USDA to treat outbreak strains of Salmonella as adulterants.

If you or a family member became ill after eating sprouts, contact us for a free case evaluation or call 1-800-884-9840. There is no charge to talk with us.

Additional resources

About Salmonella · Marler Clark Salmonella Lawsuits and Litigation · Downloadable Salmonella Fact Sheet

CDC declared the multistate Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak linked to Midwest Poultry Services shell eggs over on September 3, 2026, and FDA closed its investigation the same day. The final count is 134 people sick in 18 states, 34 of them hospitalized, and no deaths. The recalled eggs are long past their sell-by dates and are no longer on shelves. If you still have eggs at home from the July 22, 2026 recall — cartons coded P-1950 or 0840962 with a Julian date between 157 and 184 — throw them out.

The final numbers

  • 134 confirmed illnesses in 18 states: AR, AZ, CA, CO, GA, IL, LA, MI, MO, MS, NC, NM, NV, NY, OK, SC, TX and WV.
  • 34 hospitalizations — 35 percent of the people counted, which is roughly triple the usual hospitalization rate for Salmonella.
  • No deaths reported.
  • Illness onsets ran from November 21, 2025 to August 12, 2026.
  • Ages ranged from under one year to 86, with a median age of 42.
  • Of the 54 people interviewed, 46 — 85 percent — reported eating eggs before they got sick.

This was overwhelmingly a Texas outbreak

CDC’s state-by-state data shows 99 of the 134 cases in Texas. Louisiana had 8, Arkansas 5, Arizona 4, New Mexico 3, and Georgia and Oklahoma 2 each. Eleven other states — California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, New York, South Carolina and West Virginia — reported one case apiece.

That geography tracks the distribution. FDA confirmed the recalled eggs went to customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, sold at Kroger and Brookshire Grocery stores and through smaller retail and foodservice outlets under the Kroger, Simple Truth, Brookshire’s, Country Morning and Sunups labels, plus bulk eggs with no carton at all.

The recall covered four weeks. The illnesses covered nine months.

This is the part worth sitting with. The July 22 recall covered eggs produced between June 6 and July 3, 2026 — a four-week window. But CDC’s own onset data shows people getting sick long before that. Counting the daily figures CDC published, 74 of the 134 illnesses — a clear majority — began before June 6, the first day of the recalled production window. The first person got sick on November 21, 2025, eight months before a single egg was pulled.

CDC says PulseNet, the national DNA fingerprinting network, flagged this outbreak in April 2026. The recall came in late July. Eight more people got sick on or after the day the recall was announced, and the last illness began on August 12, three weeks after.

None of that is unusual, and that is the problem. Eggs move fast, people eat them before anyone knows there is an outbreak, and a recall almost always arrives after most of the harm is already done.

How the source was identified

Midwest Poultry Services collected samples at its Texas farms, and its third-party laboratory found Salmonella matching the outbreak strain. The company shared those results with FDA on July 21 and recalled 1,589,577 dozen eggs the next day — more than 19 million eggs. FDA then inspected the Texas operation itself and collected environmental samples; three of them were positive for the outbreak strain by whole genome sequencing. FDA’s traceback, run backward from where sick people said they bought or ate eggs, pointed to the same company.

The strain was resistant to some antibiotics

Sequencing showed this strain had predicted nonsusceptibility to ciprofloxacin and resistance to nalidixic acid. Most Salmonella infections clear without antibiotics, but for the people who needed treatment — and 34 of them were sick enough to be hospitalized — some commonly prescribed drugs would not have worked, and doctors would have had to choose something else. CDC noted the strain is related to Salmonella Enteritidis found in chicken, eggs and backyard poultry.

Why an egg can make you sick even when it looks perfect

Salmonella Enteritidis can infect a hen’s ovary and be deposited inside the egg before the shell forms. There is nothing on the outside to see, wash off, or smell. A clean, uncracked, premium egg carries the same risk if it is eaten raw or undercooked. Cooking is the control — and it is the only one a consumer has.

What to do with eggs at home

  • Cook eggs until both the yolk and the white are firm. Egg-containing dishes should reach 160°F.
  • Skip the raw preparations. Homemade mayonnaise, aioli, Caesar dressing, hollandaise, raw cookie dough, eggnog and protein shakes made with raw eggs are all risks. Use pasteurized shell eggs or pasteurized egg product if a recipe calls for raw egg.
  • Throw out cracked or dirty eggs. Do not wash a dirty egg — water can carry bacteria through the shell.
  • Keep eggs refrigerated at 40°F or below, and refrigerate egg dishes within two hours of cooking, or within one hour if it is above 90°F outside.
  • Wash hands, utensils, cutting boards and countertops with hot soapy water after handling raw eggs. The four steps to food safety — clean, separate, cook, chill — cover the rest.

Symptoms, and when to call a doctor

Salmonella infection usually begins 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food, according to FDA, and typically lasts four to seven days. The common symptoms are diarrhea, which can be bloody, fever, abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting. Children under five, adults over 65, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are far more likely to be hospitalized.

Call a doctor for a fever above 102°F, bloody stools, vomiting that stops you from keeping liquids down, signs of dehydration, or diarrhea lasting more than three days. Ask for a stool culture. A confirmed laboratory result is what allows public health investigators to connect an individual illness to an outbreak — and in an outbreak like this one, where CDC interviewed only 54 of the 134 people counted, every confirmed test matters.

Sources

CDC final outbreak update, September 3, 2026 · FDA outbreak investigation page · Midwest Poultry Services recall notice

Salmonella

Salmonella sickens more than a million Americans every year and is the leading cause of hospitalizations and deaths among foodborne bacteria. Its reach is remarkable — it turns up in produce, poultry, shell eggs, pantry staples, and pet food alike. Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading firm representing victims of Salmonella outbreaks. Our Salmonella lawyers have represented thousands of victims in the only U.S. law practice devoted exclusively to foodborne illness, which has recovered more than $850 million for victims and families nationwide. We have tied Salmonella outbreaks to cantaloupe, tomatoes, ground turkey, salami, sprouts, cereal, peanut butter, shell eggs, and restaurant meals, and we have brought cases against Cargill, ConAgra, Peanut Corporation of America, Sheetz, Taco Bell, Subway, Wal-Mart, and Wright County Egg. The Peanut Corporation of America outbreak ended in federal criminal convictions, with the company’s owner sentenced to twenty-eight years in prison. We are also pressing the federal government to treat Salmonella as an adulterant on raw chicken, so that contaminated poultry can be kept off store shelves the way dangerous E. coli already is.

If you or a family member became ill with a Salmonella infection — including lasting complications such as reactive arthritis or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) — after eating contaminated food, contact the Marler Clark Salmonella attorneys for a free case evaluation.

FAQ

What is Salmonella? Salmonella is a group of bacteria behind one of the most common — and most deadly — foodborne infections in the United States, sickening more than a million people a year. Symptoms usually begin between 6 hours and 6 days after eating contaminated food and include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps that last four to seven days.

What foods cause Salmonella outbreaks? Poultry, eggs, ground beef, produce, peanut butter, flour, and even pet food have all caused outbreaks. Salmonella can survive for months in dry, low-moisture foods.

Can a Salmonella infection cause long-term problems? Yes. Some victims develop reactive arthritis — joint pain and swelling that can persist for months — or irritable bowel syndrome after the initial illness resolves.

Who is most at risk? Young children, adults over 65, and people with weakened immune systems are the most likely to be hospitalized or to suffer severe, invasive infection.

Can I sue for a Salmonella infection? If your illness is linked to a contaminated product or a recognized outbreak, you may have a claim against those in the chain of distribution. A stool culture matching the outbreak strain is powerful evidence.

Additional Resources

San Diego County announced on the afternoon of September 4, 2026 that Salmonella found inside the hen houses at Happy Hens, a poultry farm in Ramona, is genetically linked to the strain that has been making people sick across the county. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration collected samples in the barns. Two of the seven houses tested positive. The California Department of Public Health gave those results to the farm’s owners and recommended that the farm issue a voluntary egg recall. As of the County’s announcement, no recall had been issued. If you have Happy Hens eggs at home, do not eat them raw or undercooked.

What the County found

According to the County’s September 4 release, FDA went to the farm beginning on August 17 for what the County describes as a routine inspection unrelated to the outbreak. Investigators took samples from the floor and from the perch rails and nest boxes of the hen houses, where droppings collect, to find out whether the flock was infected. Salmonella was found in two of the seven houses tested, and genetic testing linked the Salmonella from the farm to the strains from ill San Diegans. Test results on eggs distributed by the farm are still pending.

Until now the sequencing on the public record tied the sick people to each other. It now ties them to the barns.

Twenty-three sick in five communities

The outbreak was first announced on July 28 with thirteen confirmed and probable cases and four hospitalizations. It grew to twenty-one on August 17. It now stands at twenty-three cases and seven hospitalizations. The County has published the geography for the first time: La Mesa, Del Mar, Ramona, Jamul, and one case in Riverside County.

These illnesses are not part of the multistate shell egg outbreak in the Midwest that sickened 134 people and led to a recall. That is a separate outbreak with a separate strain.

A recall was recommended. It has not happened.

CDPH recommended a voluntary recall. The farm had not issued one as of September 4. In the meantime, the County’s Department of Environmental Health and Quality says it has reached out to all retail food facilities so that Happy Hens eggs associated with the outbreak are not used or distributed to the public until it is safe to do so.

There is no published list of the stores, restaurants and delis that received these eggs. That means the burden of knowing whether the eggs in your refrigerator came from this farm falls on you, the carton, and whoever sold them to you.

What to do if you have Happy Hens eggs

  • Do not eat them raw or lightly cooked. That includes homemade mayonnaise, aioli, Caesar dressing, hollandaise, raw cookie dough, protein shakes and runny or over-easy preparations.
  • Cook eggs until both the yolk and the white are firm. Proper cooking is what kills Salmonella.
  • Throw out cracked or dirty eggs. Do not wash a dirty egg — water can carry bacteria through the shell.
  • Wash hands, utensils, prep surfaces and containers with hot soapy water after handling raw eggs.
  • Keep eggs refrigerated at 45 °F or lower. USDA says only eggs graded AA, A or B may be sold for human consumption, and every carton must carry the required grade, size and “Keep Refrigerated” labeling.

If the eggs came from this farm, the safest choice is to discard them or return them to the seller.

Where the outbreak started: raw-egg mayonnaise at a Ramona deli

The first cluster was traced to house-made mayonnaise at Ramona Family Naturals Market, built on raw, unpasteurized eggs and used in the deli’s chicken salads and in its Ramona Red Sauce, which was spread on sandwiches and also sold by the bottle. On August 21 the County split the outbreak in two: eighteen illnesses tied to the deli’s mayonnaise, and five in people who got sick from the eggs themselves, with no connection to the store. Those five are the reason this was never only a restaurant problem.

Salmonella symptoms, and when to call a doctor

Salmonella infection usually begins 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food, the window the County is using here; CDC gives a wider range of 6 hours to 6 days. The common symptoms are diarrhea, which can be bloody, fever, abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting. Most illnesses last four to seven days and resolve without treatment. Some do not. Seven people in this outbreak have been hospitalized.

Call a doctor for a high fever, bloody stools, vomiting that prevents you from keeping liquids down, signs of dehydration, or diarrhea that lasts more than three days. And ask for a stool culture. A confirmed laboratory result is what lets public health investigators connect your illness to an outbreak, and it is what makes a case count grow.

How to report an illness in San Diego County

Anyone who develops diarrhea, fever or abdominal cramps after eating undercooked eggs should seek medical care and report the illness to the County Department of Environmental Health and Quality at (858) 505-6814 or through the County’s online intake form.

Questions about this outbreak

Can an egg be contaminated inside the shell? Yes. Salmonella Enteritidis can infect a hen’s ovary and be deposited inside the egg before the shell forms. That is why washing the outside of an egg does not make it safe, and why a clean-looking, premium, pasture-raised egg carries the same risk if it is eaten raw.

Is this the same as the Midwest egg outbreak? No. Different strain, different producer, different outbreak. The San Diego cases are their own event.

If there is no recall, are the eggs off the shelves? Not automatically. A voluntary recall is a decision the company makes. What exists here instead is County outreach asking retail food facilities to hold the eggs. Until a recall is issued or a customer list is published, consumers are left to check cartons themselves.

More on this outbreak

Bill Marler’s full write-up of the September 4 announcement is here, and the first lawsuit filed in this outbreakis described here.

Salmonella

Salmonella sickens more than a million Americans every year and is the leading cause of hospitalizations and deaths among foodborne bacteria. Its reach is remarkable — it turns up in produce, poultry, shell eggs, pantry staples, and pet food alike. Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading firm representing victims of Salmonella outbreaks. Our Salmonella lawyers have represented thousands of victims in the only U.S. law practice devoted exclusively to foodborne illness, which has recovered more than $850 million for victims and families nationwide. We have tied Salmonella outbreaks to cantaloupe, tomatoes, ground turkey, salami, sprouts, cereal, peanut butter, shell eggs, and restaurant meals, and we have brought cases against Cargill, ConAgra, Peanut Corporation of America, Sheetz, Taco Bell, Subway, Wal-Mart, and Wright County Egg. The Peanut Corporation of America outbreak ended in federal criminal convictions, with the company’s owner sentenced to twenty-eight years in prison. We are also pressing the federal government to treat Salmonella as an adulterant on raw chicken, so that contaminated poultry can be kept off store shelves the way dangerous E. coli already is.

If you or a family member became ill with a Salmonella infection — including lasting complications such as reactive arthritis or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) — after eating contaminated food, contact the Marler Clark Salmonella attorneys for a free case evaluation.

FAQ

What is Salmonella? Salmonella is a group of bacteria behind one of the most common — and most deadly — foodborne infections in the United States, sickening more than a million people a year. Symptoms usually begin between 6 hours and 6 days after eating contaminated food and include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps that last four to seven days.

What foods cause Salmonella outbreaks? Poultry, eggs, ground beef, produce, peanut butter, flour, and even pet food have all caused outbreaks. Salmonella can survive for months in dry, low-moisture foods.

Can a Salmonella infection cause long-term problems? Yes. Some victims develop reactive arthritis — joint pain and swelling that can persist for months — or irritable bowel syndrome after the initial illness resolves.

Who is most at risk? Young children, adults over 65, and people with weakened immune systems are the most likely to be hospitalized or to suffer severe, invasive infection.

Can I sue for a Salmonella infection? If your illness is linked to a contaminated product or a recognized outbreak, you may have a claim against those in the chain of distribution. A stool culture matching the outbreak strain is powerful evidence.

Additional Resources

The Bear River Health Department announced on September 1, 2026 that twenty-one people in Cache and Box Elder Counties in northern Utah have laboratory-confirmed Salmonella infections, and that the source of the outbreak is still under investigation. As of September 3, the health department has not named a food, a restaurant, an event, a water source or an animal exposure, and has not reported hospitalizations, ages or onset dates. If you live in the Logan, Brigham City or Tremonton areas and have had diarrhea and fever in recent weeks, this outbreak may be the reason.

Twenty-one confirmed cases is a large number for these two counties.

The Bear River health district serves about 203,000 people, and in a typical year the whole district reports roughly thirty-five Salmonella cases. Twenty-one confirmed cases in one cluster is well over half a normal year’s total, arriving at once. Confirmed means each of these people was sick enough to see a doctor, gave a sample, and the laboratory grew or detected Salmonella from it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that for every diagnosed Salmonella case about thirty more go undiagnosed, because most people ride out the illness at home and are never tested. The real number of sick people in Cache and Box Elder Counties is almost certainly in the hundreds.

The source is not named yet, and that is normal at this stage — but it should not stay that way.

Utah’s disease rules work in the outbreak’s favor: every Salmonella isolate goes to the state public health laboratory for whole genome sequencing, and every confirmed case gets an interview about what they ate and where. Sequencing tells investigators whether the twenty-one share one strain, and the interviews tell them what those people have in common. Those two answers are what turn a case count into a named source. The health department was right to announce the outbreak before it had the answer, and the next thing its community should expect from it is the name. I laid out that argument in more detail at the Food Poison Journal on September 1.

Salmonella symptoms usually start six hours to six days after exposure.

Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps six hours to six days after swallowing the bacteria, and are ill for four to seven days. Most recover without treatment. See a doctor if you have diarrhea lasting more than three days, a fever above 102°F, blood in your stool, vomiting you cannot keep liquids down through, or signs of dehydration such as dizziness and very little urination. Children under five, adults over sixty-five, pregnant women and anyone with a weakened immune system can become seriously ill and should call a doctor early rather than late. If you are sick now, getting tested matters beyond your own care — your sample is how this outbreak gets counted and how the source gets found.

What to do while the investigation runs.

With no source named, there is no product to throw out and no restaurant to avoid, so the useful steps are the general ones: cook poultry, ground meat and eggs thoroughly, keep raw meat and its juices away from ready-to-eat food, wash hands after handling raw meat and after contact with animals, and refrigerate leftovers promptly. Anyone in the Bear River district who was sick with these symptoms in August should consider contacting the health department — outbreak investigations depend on hearing from the people the case count is missing.

Three questions people are asking.

What caused the Salmonella outbreak in Cache and Box Elder Counties? The Bear River Health Department has not yet identified the source. As of September 3, 2026 no food, restaurant, event or animal exposure has been named. The department announced twenty-one confirmed cases on September 1 and says the investigation is active.

How do I know if I have Salmonella? Diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps starting six hours to six days after exposure are the classic signs. Only a stool test can confirm it. See a doctor if symptoms are severe, last more than three days, or you are in a higher-risk group.

Is it safe to eat out in Cache Valley? The health department has not named or closed any establishment, and it has not warned against any food. If the investigation identifies a source, the announcement will come from the Bear River Health Department, and this page will be updated with a new post.

There are two Salmonella species: Salmonella enterica (S. enterica) and Salmonella bongori (S. bongori). S. bongori strains predominantly colonize cold-blooded reptiles, whereas S. enterica strains are capable of infecting both humans and mammals.[1] Based on factors such as morphology, structure, mode of reproduction, and other criteria, the two species are further classified into subgroups called serotypes or serovars. More than 2,600 serotypes have been described for Salmonella, and they are characterized by the type(s) of animal they are found in or by the clinical symptoms they cause.[2] Of these, less than 100 are responsible for most human Salmonella infections.[3]

Where Does Salmonella Come From?

    Salmonellae are widely distributed in nature and are found in the intestinal tract of wild and domesticated animals and in humans. Salmonella poisoning can occur when a person ingests contaminated fecal particles transmitted by another infected human or animal.[4]

    Salmonella enterica serotypes Typhi, Sendai, and Paratyphi A, B, or C are found exclusively in humans. These serotypes, collectively referred to as typhoidal Salmonella, cause enteric fever (also known as typhoid or paratyphoid fever if caused by serotypes Typhi or Paratyphi, respectively).[5] Most often, enteric fever is acquired through ingestion of food or water contaminated with human feces. Most U.S. residents who are diagnosed with typhoidal Salmonella are infected while traveling abroad in areas where typhoid fever and paratyphoid fever are common. Three types of vaccines against S. Typhi are commercially available, although there is still not a single licensed vaccine available against S. Paratyphi A.[6] Persons planning to travel outside of the United States are advised to find out if a vaccine for typhoid fever is recommended (see www.cdc.gov/travel). 

    Most Salmonella infections are caused by eating contaminated food. One study found that 87% of all confirmed cases of Salmonella are foodborne. Foods of animal origin, including meat, poultry, eggs, or dairy products can become contaminated with Salmonella. Eating uncooked or inadequately cooked food—or food cross contaminated with uncooked or undercooked products—can lead to human infections. As explained in a comprehensive report issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service:

    Salmonella contamination occurs in a wide range of animal and plant products. Poultry products and eggs are frequently contaminated with S. Enteritidis, while beef products are commonly contaminated with S.Typhimurium. Other food sources of Salmonella may include raw milk or other dairy products and pork.

    In the past two decades, consumption of produce, especially sprouts, tomatoes, fruits, leafy greens, nuts, and nut butters, has been associated with Salmonella illnesses.[7] The surface of fruits and vegetables may be contaminated by human or animal feces. Changes in food consumption and production, as well as the rapid growth of international trade in agricultural products, have facilitated the transmission of Salmonella associated with fresh fruits and vegetables. 

    In the United States, Salmonella is the second most commonly isolated bacterial pathogen when laboratory diagnosis of diarrhea is sought.[8] However, passive laboratory surveillance, which uses voluntary reporting by health care providers and facilities, captures only a fraction of illnesses that actually occur. Furthermore, only a small proportion of illnesses are confirmed by laboratory testing and reported to public health agencies. Thus, researchers rely on quantitative statistical modeling to estimate the incidence of foodborne illness. These estimates are used to direct policy and interventions. The CDC currently estimates that Salmonella causes about 1.35 million illnesses, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the United States each year—making nontyphoidal Salmonella the leading bacterial cause of foodborne hospitalizations and deaths (CDC).

    What are the Symptoms of Salmonellosis?

      Salmonella infections can produce a broad range of disease, from no symptoms to severe illness. The most common clinical presentation is acute gastroenteritis. Symptoms commonly include diarrhea and abdominal cramps, often accompanied by fever of 100°F to 102°F (38°C to 39°C). More serious infections may also involve bloody diarrhea, vomiting, headache, and body aches.[9]

      The incubation period, or the time from ingestion of the bacteria until the symptoms start, is generally 6 to 72 hours; however, there is evidence that in some situations the incubation can be longer than 10 days. People with salmonellosis usually recover without treatment within three to seven days. Nonetheless, Salmonella bacteria can persist in the intestinal tract and stool for many weeks after the resolution of symptoms—on average, one month in adults and longer in children.[10]

      Treatment of Salmonellosis

        S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi are capable of causing systemic illness if they invade the bloodstream (termed “bacteremia”). “Septicemia” or “sepsis” (bloodstream infection or “blood poisoning”) occurs if the bacteria multiply in the blood and cause the immune system to respond by activating inflammatory mechanisms. This may result in the development of “systemic inflammatory response syndrome,” or “SIRS.” By definition, SIRS includes tachycardia, tachypnea, fever, and abnormal white blood cell count. When the bacteria involved are S. Typhi or S. Paratyphi, this serious illness is called enteric typhoid, or paratyphoid fever. Symptoms may start gradually and include fever, headache, malaise, lethargy, and abdominal pain. In children, it can present seemingly innocuously as a non-specific fever. The incubation period for S. Typhi is usually 8 to 14 days, but it can range from three to 60 days. For S. Paratyphi infections, the incubation period is similar to that of nontyphoidal Salmonella—one to 10 days.[11]

        Medical treatment is acutely important, though, if the patient becomes severely dehydrated or if the infection spreads from the intestines. Persons with severe diarrhea often require re-hydration, usually with intravenous (IV) fluids. But antibiotics are not necessary or indicated unless the infection spreads from the intestines, at which time the infection can be treated with ampicillin, gentamicin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, or ciprofloxacin. Unfortunately, though, some Salmonella bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics, largely as a result of the use of antibiotics to promote the growth of feed animals. Multidrug-resistant strains are an increasing concern: a multidrug-resistant strain of Salmonella Newport—linked to beef and to soft cheese and travel associated with Mexico—has in recent years spread to all 50 states and caused multiple outbreaks (CDC).[12]

        Complications of Salmonellosis

          Although most people who become ill with salmonellosis recover completely within a week, a subset of patients—particularly infants and young children, adults over 65, pregnant women, and persons with weakened immune systems—go on to develop serious or long-term complications.[13] For these vulnerable groups, what begins as acute gastroenteritis can progress to severe, and occasionally fatal, disease.

          In approximately five percent of nontyphoidal Salmonella infections, the bacteria invade the bloodstream, a condition known as bacteremia. Once in the blood, Salmonella can travel to and establish focal infections at distant sites in the body, including abscesses, septic arthritis, osteomyelitis (infection of the bone), endocarditis (infection of the inner lining of the heart), and meningitis. The bacteria have a particular affinity for damaged or abnormal vascular tissue, so persons with atherosclerosis, aneurysms, or vascular grafts face a heightened risk of life-threatening infection of the blood vessels.[14]

          A small number of persons develop a complication known as reactive arthritis, formerly called Reiter’s syndrome—a term that has now largely fallen into disfavor. Estimates of the proportion of Salmonella patients who develop reactive arthritis vary widely, ranging from roughly two to fifteen percent.[15] Reactive arthritis is characterized by inflammation of the joints—most often the knees, ankles, feet, and heels—and may be accompanied by irritation of the eyes (conjunctivitis or iritis) and pain during urination. It is most common in persons between 15 and 35 years of age. Although symptoms frequently resolve within months, in some patients—especially those who carry the HLA-B27 genetic marker—the condition can persist for years and develop into chronic arthritis or spondyloarthropathy.

          There is also evidence that Salmonella infection increases the long-term risk of chronic digestive disorders, including post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gastroesophageal reflux disease, and inflammatory bowel conditions such as ulcerative colitis.[16]

          Prevention of Salmonella Infection

            Because food contaminated with Salmonella usually looks, smells, and tastes completely normal, prevention depends on safe food handling rather than on detecting spoilage. Public health authorities organize these practices around four basic steps: clean, separate, cook, and chill.[17]

            Thorough handwashing is one of the most effective safeguards. Hands should be washed with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds before, during, and after preparing food; before eating; after using the bathroom; and after handling raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs. Kitchen utensils, cutting boards, and countertops should be washed with hot, soapy water after contact with raw foods, and fresh fruits and vegetables should be rinsed under running water before they are eaten or prepared.

            Raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs should be kept separate from ready-to-eat foods throughout shopping, storage, and preparation. Using separate cutting boards and keeping the juices of raw animal products away from produce and other foods helps prevent cross-contamination, one of the most common routes of Salmonella transmission in the home.

            Cooking food to a safe internal temperature reliably kills Salmonella, and the only way to verify that temperature is with a food thermometer—color and texture are not reliable indicators. Poultry (including ground chicken and turkey), stuffing, and casseroles should reach 165°F; ground meats and egg dishes should reach 160°F; and whole cuts of beef, pork, veal, and lamb should reach 145°F, followed by a three-minute rest.[18]

            Salmonella multiplies rapidly at temperatures between 40°F and 140°F—the so-called “danger zone.” Refrigerators should be kept at 40°F or below, and perishable foods should never be left at room temperature for more than two hours (or one hour if the surrounding temperature exceeds 90°F). Consumers should also avoid unpasteurized (raw) milk and dairy products, raw or undercooked eggs, and raw or undercooked meat and poultry.

            Finally, many healthy-appearing animals—including reptiles and amphibians such as turtles, snakes, and lizards, as well as backyard poultry—carry Salmonella in their intestinal tracts and shed the bacteria into their surroundings. Hands should always be washed after contact with these animals or their environment, and reptiles and amphibians should not be kept in households with young children or immunocompromised persons.[19] When traveling to regions with lower food and water safety standards, the CDC advises a simple rule: “Boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it.”

            [1]           Hernandez, A. K. C. Salmonella bongori. Poultry and Avian Diseases. Encyclopedia of Agriculture and Food Systems. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/salmonella-bongori.

            [2]           Boore AL, et al. (2015). Salmonella enterica Infections in the United States and Assessment of Coefficients of Variation: A Novel Approach to Identify Epidemiologic Characteristics of Individual Serotypes, 1996–2011. PloS One. 10(12): e0145416

            [3]           Besser JM. (2018). Salmonella epidemiology: a whirlwind of change. Food Microbiol. 71:55-9.

            [4]           Chiu, C.-H. (2019). Salmonella, Non-Typhoidal Species (S. Choleraesuis, S. Enteritidis, S. Hadar, S. Typhimurium). http://www.antimicrobe.org/b258.asp. 

            [5]           Ohad eGal-Mor, Erin C Boyle, & Guntram A. Grassl. (2014). Same species, different diseases: how and why typhoidal and non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica serovars differ. Frontiers in Microbiology, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2014.00391

            [6]           Id.

            [7]           National Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fever Surveillance Annual Summary, 2015.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 6 Nov. 2018. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/typhoid-fever/reports/annual-report-2015.html. 

            [8]           “National Enteric Disease Surveillance: Salmonella Annual Report, 2016.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 28 Feb. 2018. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/nationalsurveillance/pdfs/2016-Salmonella-report-508.pdf. 

            [9]           “Salmonella.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 24 Jun. 2020. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/. 

            [10]         Id.

            [11]         Miller, S. and Pegues, D. “Salmonella Species, Including Salmonella Typhi” in Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett’s Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases, Sixth Edition, Chap. 220, pp. 2636-50 (2005).

            [12]         Medalla, F., Gu, W., Mahon, B. E., Judd, M., Folster, J., Griffin, P. M., & Hoekstra, R. M. (2016). Estimated Incidence of Antimicrobial Drug-Resistant Nontyphoidal Salmonella Infections, United States, 2004-2012. Emerging infectious diseases, 23(1), 29–37. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2301.160771

            [13]         “Symptoms of Salmonella Infection.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/signs-symptoms/index.html.

            [14]         “Salmonella Infection – Symptoms & Causes.” Mayo Clinic. Available at https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/salmonella/symptoms-causes/syc-20355329. See also Chen, P.-L., et al. (2007). Extraintestinal focal infections in adults with nontyphoid Salmonella bacteraemia: predisposing factors and clinical outcome. Journal of Internal Medicine, 261, 91–100.

            [15]         “Clinical Overview of Salmonellosis.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/hcp/clinical-overview/index.html. On the chronicity of reactive arthritis and its association with HLA-B27, see also “Short- and Long-term Effects of Bacterial Gastrointestinal Infections.” Emerging Infectious Diseases, 14(1) (Jan. 2008), available at https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/14/1/07-0524_article.

            [16]         “Short- and Long-term Effects of Bacterial Gastrointestinal Infections.” Emerging Infectious Diseases, 14(1) (Jan. 2008). Available at https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/14/1/07-0524_article.

            [17]         “Preventing Salmonella Infection.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/prevention/index.html.

            [18]         “Preventing Food Poisoning.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/food-safety/prevention/index.html; see also “Safe Food Handling,” U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, available at https://www.fsis.usda.gov.

            [19]         “Preventing Salmonella Infection.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/prevention/index.html.

            CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are collecting different types of data to identify the food source of a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Telelkebir infections.

            Epidemiologic data show that oysters may be contaminated with Salmonella and may be making people sick in this outbreak. CDC and FDA are working to determine the source of these oysters.

            As of December 23, 2025, 64 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella have been reported from 22 states: Illinois 1, Kentucky 1, Maine 1, Missouri 1, North Carolina 1, South Dakota 1, Tennessee 1, Maryland 1, Arizona 3, California 2, Colorado 3, Connecticut 2, Delaware 2, Florida 3, Massachusetts 3, South Carolina 3, Texas 2, Georgia 4, New Jersey 6, Virginia 6, New York 7, Pennsylvania 10.

            Illnesses started on dates ranging from June 21, 2025, to November 28, 2025. Of 44 people with information available, 20 have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

            The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.

            Public health officials collect many different types of information from sick people, including their age, race, ethnicity, other demographics, and the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. This information provides clues to help investigators identify the source of the outbreak.

            State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. Of the 27 people interviewed, 20 (74%) reported eating raw oysters. This percentage was significantly higher than the 1.6% of respondents who reported eating raw oysters in the FoodNet Population Survey—a survey that helps estimate how often people eat various foods linked to diarrheal illness. This difference suggests that people in this outbreak got sick from eating raw oysters.

            Public health investigators are using the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may be part of this outbreak. CDC PulseNet manages a national database of DNA fingerprints of bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses. DNA fingerprinting is performed on bacteria using a method called whole genome sequencing (WGS).

            WGS showed that bacteria from sick people’s samples are closely related genetically. This suggests that people in this outbreak may have gotten sick from the same food.

            Based on WGS analysis, bacteria from 59 people’s samples did not predict resistance to any antibiotics. More information is available at the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) site.

            Raw oysters can be contaminated with germs at any time of year. Cook oysters before eating to reduce your risk of food poisoning.

            The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is warning consumers and businesses not to eat, serve or sell recalled in-shell eggs distributed by Vega Farms, Inc. Consumers should throw recalled eggs away or return to place of purchase for a refund, and b​usinesses should not sell or serve recalled eggs. 

            CDPH is working with local health departments and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to investigate an outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections linked to the consumption of eggs.  

            As of December 5, 2025, 63 California residents who became ill with the outbreak strain have been reported to CDPH. There have been 13 hospitalizations and no deaths. CDPH is warning people not to eat, serve, or sell the recalled in-shell eggs distributed by Vega Farms, Inc.  

            After identifying the supplier of the suspect eggs, CDPH and CDFA conducted an inspection at Vega Farms, Inc. and collected egg and environmental samples for testing. Multiple samples tested positive for Salmonella. Whole genome sequencing analysis revealed that the Salmonella in at least one sample matched the strain found in sick individuals. Vega Farms eggs were sold to restaurants, grocery stores, co-ops, and in farmers markets in Northern California.

            On December 5, 2025, Vega Farms, Inc. voluntarily recalled Vega Farms brand eggs. CDPH is partnering with local health jurisdictions to ensure recalled products are not available for purchase by consumers. CDPH and CDFA are supporting the firm with guidance and resources to eliminate Salmonella and prevent future outbreaks.

            These are the details about the recalled eggs:​

            • Product description: Brown Eggs
            • Handler Code: 2136
            • Julian Date (3-digit number from 001 to 365 corresponding to the day of the year): 328 and prior
            • Sell-by dates: 12-22-25 and prior
            • Brand name: Vega Farms
            • Package sizes:
              • Consumer packaging: 1-dozen cartons and 30-egg flats
              • Foodservice packaging: 15-dozen cases (contains 6 flats of 30 eggs each)​

            Consumers who become sick after eating the recalled eggs should call their health care provider. Salmonella infection symptoms usually begin six hours to six days after exposure and include diarrh​ea, fever and stomach cramps. Illness typically lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without medical treatment. But for some people, the symptoms may be so severe that treatment or hospitalization is needed. Children younger than 5 years of age, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely than others to get very sick. 

            As of October 31, 2025, 11 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella have been reported from 7 states – Florida 2, Kansas 2, Michigan 1, North Carolina 1, New York 1, South Carolina 1, Virginia 3. 

            Illnesses started on dates ranging from May 12, 2025 to September 4, 2025. Of 11 people with information available, 3 have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

            State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. Of the 10 people interviewed, 9 (90%) reported eating powdered dietary supplements. Six of these people reported eating Member’s Mark Super Greens Powder. Three people reported other products containing moringa leaf powder.

            Officials in Michigan collected an open container of Member’s Mark Super Greens Powder from an ill person’s home for testing. This sample tested positive for Salmonella. WGS showed that the Salmonella in the supplement powder is closely related to bacteria from sick people.

            Officials in Virginia collected an open container of moringa leaf powder from an ill person’s home for testing. This sample tested positive for Salmonella. WGS showed that the Salmonella in the moringa leaf powder is closely related to bacteria from sick people.

            FDA conducted a traceback investigation based on what ill people reported eating before becoming sick. Traceback records for organic moringa leaf powder collected from the supply chain for all eight points of sale converged at a direct importer of organic moringa leaf powder sourced from Vallon Farm Direct PVT LTD in India. A single lot of organic moringa leaf powder (lot code VFD/ORG/MORP/L/24 with the best by date (BBD) of November 2027) from Vallon Farm Direct of India can explain all illnesses included in the traceback investigation.