Just as the US’s explosive diarrhea situation is starting to improve, there seem to be fresh new food risks to worry about. Jalapeño peppers, eggs, granola and even dog food are being recalled because of possible contamination with salmonella bacteria.
A growing outbreak related to contaminated jalapeños is responsible for 431 illnesses in 32 states, with 57 people requiring hospitalization, according to an August 19 update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency has identified jalapeños from Sinaloa, Mexico, and distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors as the source of the outbreak. The company agreed to recall affected produce, triggering widespread removals of salsa, guacamole, salad dressing, and other jalapeño-containing products across Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Kroger, Target, and other stores. Chipotle and Qdoba also stopped serving the jalapeños in question.
A separate salmonella outbreak linked to eggs has sickened 98 people across 17 states. Of those, 26 have been hospitalized. Health officials have named Midwest Poultry Services as a common egg source but say the company’s eggs did not account for all illnesses in the outbreak and are investigating other sources. The company in July began a voluntary recall of 19 million eggs due to potential contamination. The eggs were produced and distributed from farms in Texas.
A type of granola—Lacnola Lactation Granola from Hampton Grocers—is also being recalled due to possible salmonella risk. In that case, the problematic ingredient is organic moringa powder, a nutrient-dense green powder made from the leaves of the South Asian moringa tree. Several salmonella outbreaks linked to imported moringa leaf powder and dietary supplements containing moringa have occurred since last year.
Salmonella is also making its way into dog food. Oma’s Pride is recalling bags of its Woof Complete Canine Chicken Recipe after the FDA received a consumer complaint and subsequently collected and analyzed a sample of the product, which tested positive for salmonella. Three illnesses in dogs have been reported, according to the FDA notice.







