Recall Watch: Whole Foods Products Recalled in Ongoing Jalapeño Salmonella Outbreak

Recall announced: August 12, 2026

Status of underlying outbreak: OngoingHazard: Potential Salmonella contaminationRetailer/brand: Whole Foods MarketIngredient source: Coast Citrus Distributors

Whole Foods Market recalled select salsas, guacamole, pico de gallo and prepared-food products on August 12, 2026 after learning that jalapeños used in the products had been supplied by Coast Citrus Distributors and could be contaminated with Salmonella. FDA and CDC are investigating an ongoing multistate outbreak linked to fresh jalapeños from Sinaloa, Mexico that were distributed by Coast Citrus.

What products were recalled?

The current FDA Whole Foods list includes several varieties of mild and spicy guacamole, guacamole without tomatoes, pico de gallo guacamole, pomegranate guacamole, roasted corn guacamole, a dip trio, heirloom tomato salsa and mango-pineapple salsa used as a condiment with a prepared turkey burger.

The products were sold online and in Whole Foods Produce and Prepared Foods departments in:

Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky and Ohio.

Affected products have Best Before/Best By dates ranging from August 7 through August 16, 2026, with the exact dates depending on the product. FDA's recall notice contains the individual PLU codes for consumers who need to identify a specific package.

Why were they recalled?

The problem did not originate with the finished salsa or guacamole recipe itself. The common ingredient was jalapeño peppers supplied by Coast Citrus Distributors.

FDA traceback work identified a grower in Sinaloa, Mexico that supplied Coast Citrus as the likely source of an outbreak of Salmonella Javiana infections. Coast Citrus initially recalled a limited amount of jalapeños on July 22 and agreed on August 5 to recall the remaining implicated peppers. Companies that used those peppers then began issuing their own downstream recalls.

Whole Foods is one of several retailers and food companies affected by those downstream recalls.

Has anyone gotten sick?

This is where the numbers need context.

As of FDA's latest outbreak update, 431 people in 32 states had become ill, 57 had been hospitalized and no deaths had been reported. The latest reported illness onset was August 2.

However, FDA's Whole Foods recall notice states that no illnesses had been reported in connection with the recalled Whole Foods products themselves. The 431 cases belong to the broader jalapeño outbreak and should not be presented as 431 people becoming sick from Whole Foods salsa or guacamole.

Is the outbreak still active?

Yes.

FDA currently lists the jalapeño outbreak investigation as ongoing and continues to advise consumers, restaurants and retailers not to eat, sell or serve recalled jalapeños or foods made with them. FDA is also continuing to identify downstream products made with the recalled peppers.

Is this Whole Foods' first recall?

No. Whole Foods' own recall page lists several unrelated product recalls during 2026 involving issues such as undeclared allergens, foreign material and other contamination concerns. That does not, by itself, show that this Salmonella event represents a recurring food-safety failure by Whole Foods. Recall history needs context because retailers may recall products for very different reasons and from different suppliers.

In this case, the traceable problem is the jalapeño supply chain, beginning with peppers imported from Sinaloa and distributed by Coast Citrus.

What should consumers do?

If you still have one of the affected Whole Foods products, do not eat it. FDA and Whole Foods advise consumers to discard the product or take a valid receipt to a Whole Foods Market location for a full refund.

Because the affected best-by dates ended August 16, these products are unlikely to remain in normal refrigerated inventory. But consumers who froze a product, transferred it to another container or simply haven't cleaned out the refrigerator should still check.

Maria Approved It Takeaway

This recall is part of a larger, still-active Salmonella outbreak, not an isolated problem discovered in a single tub of guacamole.

The distinction matters:

Whole Foods products were recalled because they contained implicated jalapeños. The broader outbreak has caused hundreds of illnesses, but FDA has not attributed those illnesses specifically to the recalled Whole Foods foods.

That's the kind of detail worth slowing down for when a recall headline starts making the rounds.