A salmonella outbreak linked to jalapeno peppers grown in Mexico has made 345 people sick across 27 states, and Texas is one of them. The peppers ended up in food at Chipotle and Qdoba, two of the biggest Mexican-style restaurant chains in the country.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 36 people have landed in the hospital. No one has died. Health officials say the outbreak is not over, and they believe the real number of sick people is higher than what has been reported so far.
This matters here in South Texas because jalapenos are not some rare item. They go on almost everything. Salsa, tacos, queso, a plate of fajitas. When a bad batch of peppers moves through the food system, it can end up on a lot of tables fast, including in the Rio Grande Valley.
The CDC traced the source to jalapenos grown by a farm in Sinaloa, Mexico. A company called Coast Citrus Distributors shipped those peppers out to restaurants and stores. Lab tests found the germ inside the peppers matched the strain making people sick in state after state. Scientists call this strain Salmonella Javiana.
Investigators talked to sick people about what they ate before getting ill. Nine out of ten people who got sick had eaten at a Mexican-style restaurant in the week before symptoms started. Jalapenos, red onion, cilantro and avocado came up again and again in those interviews.
Chipotle switched to a different pepper supplier on July 20. Qdoba stopped serving jalapenos completely on July 28. Both chains acted after health investigators contacted them, and both moved fast once the link became clear.
The first people got sick back in mid June. The CDC says reported illnesses started on June 19 and ran through July 20. That is a full month of people eating tainted peppers without knowing it. The outbreak notice did not go public until August 5, more than two weeks after the last known case.
The states hit hardest are Minnesota and Colorado, each with more than 100 cases tied to the outbreak. Texas has reported cases too, though health officials have not released an exact count for the state. In all, 27 states have confirmed at least one case.
If you have loose jalapenos in your fridge from a restaurant, a taqueria, or a store that gets produce from Coast Citrus, the CDC says do not eat them. Wash and clean anything the peppers touched, including cutting boards and containers. If you already ate them and feel fine, you are probably in the clear. Most people get better within a week without needing a doctor.
Watch for a fever over 102 degrees, diarrhea that will not stop after three days, blood in your stool, or signs that your body is running out of fluids, like a dry mouth or not peeing much. Those are the warning signs that mean you need to call a doctor.
Kids under 5, adults over 65, and anyone with a weak immune system face a higher risk of getting seriously sick. If someone in your house fits that description and has stomach problems after eating out recently, do not wait it out. Get them checked.
The CDC and FDA say they do not believe there is an ongoing risk at Chipotle or Qdoba right now, since both chains pulled the bad peppers weeks ago. The investigation into exactly how the peppers got contaminated in Mexico is still open. Federal officials have not said whether more products from the same grower could be affected.
For now, the advice for South Texas families is simple. Ask where your jalapenos come from if you are buying loose peppers from a smaller store or produce stand. Keep an eye on CDC updates, since the case count has already climbed once and could climb again before this is over.
