Archive · 11 Aug 2026
Taylor Farms pulls jalapeno products amid US salmonella outbreak
Some foods people buy at the grocery store can have tiny germs that make people sick.
A company called Taylor Farms makes salads, salsas and guacamole sold in many stores.
Taylor Farms learned that some of the peppers they used might have a germ called salmonella that can make people very sick.
More than 300 people got sick before the company realized there was a problem.
So Taylor Farms took the salsa and guacamole off the shelves at stores like Walmart and Whole Foods.
They also stopped getting peppers from a farm in Mexico that might have caused the sickness.
There is another germ called cyclospora that was found in shredded lettuce that Taylor Farms also made.
Many people are now scared to buy lettuce because of that germ.
Stores are telling people who already bought these foods to throw them in the trash.
Taylor Farms will have to work hard to make people trust its food again.
Taylor Farms voluntarily recalled products made with jalapenos, including salsas and guacamole, over potential salmonella contamination.
The recall followed Coast Citrus Distributors' recall of fresh peppers after more than 300 people were sickened in an outbreak.
Taylor Farms stopped sourcing from a farm in Sinaloa, Mexico, after it was identified as a potential source of salmonella.
Walmart, Whole Foods and Hannaford removed the recalled products from shelves and advised customers to throw them away.
A separate cyclospora outbreak linked to Taylor Farms-supplied shredded lettuce has made many consumers avoid lettuce.
- Who
- Taylor Farms, a California-based producer of fresh-cut vegetables, along with retailers Walmart, Whole Foods and Hannaford and regulators like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
- What
- A voluntary recall of jalapeno-containing products such as salsas and guacamole over potential salmonella contamination, with a separate cyclospora outbreak linked to its shredded lettuce.
- When
- The recall was announced on a Sunday, with retailers confirming removals the following Monday; no exact dates were given in the articles.
- Where
- The United States, including retail chains nationwide; peppers were sourced from a farm in Sinaloa, Mexico, and shredded lettuce from a processing facility in Guanajuato, Mexico.
- Why
- Potential salmonella contamination from fresh peppers, which had sickened more than 300 people, and a cyclospora outbreak linked to shredded lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms.
Consumers will avoid Taylor Farms
Taylor Farms products are hard to avoid
Impact on consumer behavior
Consumers will avoid Taylor Farms
Consumers are likely to avoid all Taylor Farms products for a while, and the company will have to work hard to change the perception that its products can make people sick; the cyclospora scare is already making many consumers avoid lettuce of all kinds.
Taylor Farms products are hard to avoid
Consumers will not be able to completely steer clear of Taylor Farms products because its produce is sold on a wholesale basis and does not come with brand names.
- Company
- Taylor Farms
- Headquarters
- California, United States
- Recalled products
- Salsas, guacamole and other items prepared with jalapenos
- Reason for recall
- Potential salmonella contamination
- Retailers affected
- Walmart, Whole Foods, Hannaford
- Outbreak scale
- More than 300 people sickened
- Pepper supplier
- Coast Citrus Distributors recalled fresh peppers
- Sourcing changes
- Stopped sourcing from a Sinaloa, Mexico farm and a Guanajuato, Mexico processing facility