WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 (DC Times Online) — Whole Foods Market has recalled select salsa, guacamole, pico de gallo, dips and other prepared foods made with fresh jalapeños that may be contaminated with Salmonella, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.
The products were sold online and at Whole Foods stores in 12 states. The recall is part of a broader federal investigation into a jalapeño-linked Salmonella outbreak that has sickened 345 people in 27 states and hospitalized 36, according to the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The recalled items have Best Before or Best By dates ranging from Aug. 7 through Aug. 16, 2026. The FDA’s notice includes the product names, package information and date codes needed to identify the affected foods.
Where the recalled foods were sold
The products were distributed in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin.
Washington, D.C., is not included in the FDA’s listed distribution area. The available recall information does not establish whether any of the products were sold in the District through other channels.
Why the products were recalled
The recalled prepared foods contain fresh jalapeños supplied by Coast Citrus Distributors. Federal investigators identified a grower in Sinaloa, Mexico, as a potential source of the implicated peppers. The grower was not named in the available information.
The Whole Foods recall does not mean the prepared foods themselves were found to have caused an illness. As of the announcement, no illnesses had been reported specifically in connection with the recalled Whole Foods products, the FDA said.
The recall is linked to a larger investigation involving jalapeños used by multiple food companies. State and local public-health agencies are working with the FDA and CDC on that investigation.
What consumers should do
Whole Foods advised consumers not to eat the recalled products. They should discard the food or return it to a Whole Foods Market store with a valid receipt for a refund, according to the company’s recall guidance.
Salmonella is a bacteria that can contaminate food and cause illness. The available information does not provide individual case details or a complete description of the outbreak’s current status beyond the reported illness and hospitalization totals.
The FDA said the businesses involved had taken steps to remove affected products from stores and that it did not consider there to be a current ongoing risk from those establishments to consumers in the outbreak.
