Qdoba removes jalapeños as salmonella outbreak spreads to 27 states

Restaurant chain Qdoba has followed Chipotle in removing jalapeños from its locations amid a salmonella outbreak that has affected at least 27 states, according to health officials.

The Mexican fast-casual restaurant said Wednesday it was cooperating with public health authorities as they investigate the outbreak linked to jalapeño peppers grown in Sinaloa, Mexico. The peppers were distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors to wholesale and restaurants, including Qdoba and Chipotle, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we have proactively removed jalapeños from all our restaurants at this time,” The San Diego-based Qdoba said in a statement. “We take any report involving guest health seriously and are committed to responding appropriately based on the facts and guidance from public health authorities.”

Since Qdoba and Chipotle removed the affected products, the CDC said, “neither of these establishments are considered a current ongoing risk to consumers in this outbreak.”

At least 345 people across 27 states have been sickened with the strain of Salmonella Javiana linked to the jalapeños, 36 of whom have been hospitalized, the CDC said Thursday. No deaths have been reported.

The majority of cases are in Colorado and Minnesota, with each reporting at least 110. Other cases have been reported in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

The CDC said the Food and Drug Administration was working to determine whether the jalapeños went to grocery stores. The CDC urged consumers to check with the place of purchase to confirm the source of their jalapeño peppers.

Coast Citrus Distributors agreed to recall the remaining product implicated in the outbreak, the FDA said.

On Tuesday, Chipotle announced it pulled jalapeños linked to the salmonella outbreak in Minnesota and said that it has replaced the peppers with product from another grower.

The Minnesota Department of Health said of the 84 Minnesotans interviewed as part of its investigation, 75 reported eating at Chipotle. The agency said the customers ate at the restaurant between June 14 and July 14, with most eating there between June 24 and July 2.

Salmonella can cause diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps within eight to 72 hours after exposure, according to the Mayo Clinic, which said most healthy people recover within days to a week without treatment.