By Abu Sultan and Mrinmay Dey
Aug 5 (Reuters) - U.S. health officials are investigating a Salmonella outbreak linked to Mexican jalapeno peppers that has sickened 345 people in 27 states, prompting supplier Coast Citrus Distributors to recall peppers sent to restaurants including Chipotle Mexican Grill and QDOBA.
Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said 36 hospitalizations and no deaths have been reported, while the investigation remains ongoing.
FDA said illnesses began between June 19 and July 20. Salmonella infections can cause diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps and can be particularly severe in young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems.
The outbreak comes amid heightened scrutiny of food safety in the restaurant industry following a recent U.S. cyclosporiasis outbreak that prompted investigations by health authorities and renewed concerns about produce supply chains.
The FDA and the CDC linked that outbreak to lettuce served at Yum Brands' Taco Bell restaurants and later identified Taylor Farms' operations in central Mexico as the source of the lettuce. On Wednesday, the agencies expanded the cyclosporiasis probe to 15 U.S. states.
Chipotle previously faced a series of foodborne illness outbreaks that hurt sales and led the burrito chain to adopt stricter food safety procedures.
OUTBREAK LINKED TO JALAPENOS FROM SINALOA
Health agencies linked the outbreak to jalapeno peppers supplied by a common grower in Sinaloa, Mexico, and distributed in the U.S. by Coast Citrus Distributors.
The company has agreed to recall the remaining product and is notifying affected customers, the FDA said.
The U.S. investigation identified restaurants including Chipotle and QDOBA, a Mexican-style restaurant chain, that had received jalapenos imported by Coast Citrus Distributors.
Chipotle has since switched jalapeno suppliers for its restaurants beginning July 20, while QDOBA stopped using jalapenos on July 28 and is no longer serving them, the FDA said.
Coast Citrus, when contacted by Reuters, said it did not have an immediate comment.
Chipotle shares fell more than 8% on Tuesday after the company said it had removed jalapenos from restaurants in Minnesota and other locations that received the product.
"FDA does not consider there to be a current ongoing risk from these establishments to consumers in this outbreak," the FDA said in a statement.
The FDA said Coast Citrus does not appear to have supplied jalapenos directly to grocery stores and advised consumers and businesses not to eat, sell, or serve recalled peppers from Sinaloa.
(Reporting by Abu Sultan in Bengaluru and Mrinmay Dey in Mexico City, Additional reporting by Fabiola Arámburo in Mexico City; Editing by Shreya Biswas and Rashmi Aich)
