Taylor Farms recall expands as company pulls jalapeños from Trader Joe’s, Target, among others

Taylor Farms has become the latest distributor to recall food products that contain jalapeños that are potentially contaminated with salmonella and linked to a larger multi-state bacterial outbreak that includes California.
The ready-to-use food products that Taylor Farms recalled over the weekend had been sold at Trader Joe’s, Walmart and Target, among other grocers across the nation.
On Sunday, the Salinas-based distributor Taylor Fresh Foods announced it was also recalling imported jalapeños that came from a grower in Sinaloa, Mexico. Taylor Fresh had just last month voluntarily recalled imported contaminated lettuce from a grower in Central Mexico that was linked to a cyclosporiasis outbreak that affected 15 states and sicked tens of thousands of people.
In this new contamination case, a Sinaloa-based grower was identified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as the likely source of a salmonella outbreak that affected at least 345 people last week across 27 states, including California.
To identify the source of the outbreak, FDA officials conducted a traceback investigation — a process in which officials trace food that made people ill all the way back to the farm or production facility. They interviewed 191 afflicted people, and found that 177 reported eating at Mexican-style restaurants including Chipotle Mexican Grill and Qdoba before their illness.
Based on the investigation, health officials concluded that the contaminated jalapeños were imported from the Sinaloa grower to Coast Citrus Distributors, which is based in San Diego and supplied the restaurants.
Taylor Farms also received imported jalapeños from the same Mexican farm. Out of an abundance of caution, the company announced the recall, ceased accepting produce from the farm and said it will be filling orders from alternative suppliers, according to the FDA.
“To date, Taylor Fresh Foods is not aware of any reported illnesses linked to its products containing jalapeños,” the FDA stated.
Salmonella infection could result in diarrhea, nausea, headache and stomach cramps. The symptoms can start six hours to six days after swallowing the bacteria. Children younger than 5 years, adults 65 years and older, and people with weakened immune systems could suffer severe symptoms such as prolonged diarrhea and a fever higher than 102 degrees, bloody diarrhea, vomiting, the inability to keep fluids down and dehydration, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most people recover without treatment after four to seven days.
Where the recalled products were distributed
The recalled products were distributed to grocery stores in the following 26 states.
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Maine
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Mississippi
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New York
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Vermont
- Wisconsin
- West Virginia
Recalled products
The following recalled products have a “Best if Used By” date ranging from Aug. 7-16.
Hannaford
- Diced jalapeños, 3.75-ounce package
- Rice and bean Burrito, 12.5-ounce package
- (Found at Hannaford and Stop and Shop locations) Pico de Gallo Salsa, 7-ounce package
Kroger
- Kroger’s Private Selection brand of spicy roast beef sandwich, 8.53-ounce package
- Spicy Jarlsberg Dip, 10-ounce package
- Spicy Pimento Cheese Dip 10-ounce package
Target
- Taylor Farms/unbranded Taco Dip, 20-ounce package
- Taylor Farms/unbranded Mango Pico de Gallo, 11-ounce package
- Taylor Farms/unbranded Spicy Guacamole, 13-ounce package
- Taylor Farms Pico de Gallo, 16-ounce package
- Taylor Farms Authentic Guacamole, 13-ounce package
Trader Joe’s
- Trader Joe’s Fiesta Style Salad Shrimp, 11.11-ounce package
Walmart
- Freshness Guaranteed Hot (or Spicy) Pico De Gallo Spicy, 10-ounce package
- Freshness Guaranteed Mild Pico De Gallo, 10-ounce package
Whole Foods
- Salsa Fesca medium, 12-ounce package
- Pico de Gallo Mild, 10-ounce package
- Pico de Gallo Spicy, 10-ounce package
- Salsa Roja Medium, 12-ounce package
- Pineapple Salsa Mild, 10-ounce package
A complete list of the recalled items that includes a UPC code can be found here.
Recall guidance from the FDA
Health officials said consumers who have any recalled product should discard it immediately.
Consumers can return the item to the grocery store where it was purchased for a refund.
Any questions can be made by calling the FDA’s customer care team at 855-455-0098 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific standard time.
