U.S. jalapeno outbreak infects 345 across 27 states; Canada unaffected so far

More than 345 people across 27 U.S. states have fallen ill with salmonella infections in an outbreak traced to jalapeno peppers from Sinaloa, Mexico, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday. There have been 36 hospitalizations and no recorded deaths.

The FDA and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention traced the outbreak to jalapenos imported by Coast Citrus Distributors, which distributed them to restaurants and food service companies including Chipotle and Qdoba. Minnesota and Colorado recorded the most cases so far, with 110 each, followed by Illinois with 30, Kansas with 13, and Wisconsin with nine.

Chipotle removed the affected peppers from its U.S. restaurants after the outbreak was reported. Qdoba removed jalapenos from all locations "out of an abundance of caution."

Salmonella is a bacterium that causes intestinal tract infections. It is typically transmitted through food or water contaminated with feces containing the bacteria. Contamination usually happens at the farm level, though it can occur at any point in the supply chain. The bacteria can be killed through cooking, but jalapenos are often consumed raw, creating a risk of infection.

The Public Health Agency of Canada said it is "not currently investigating any salmonella illnesses associated with the salmonella outbreak linked to jalapenos in the U.S." The Canadian Food Inspection Agency also said it was aware of the outbreak but found no evidence that affected products were distributed in Canada. Coast Citrus Distributors does not appear to supply jalapenos directly to Canadian grocery stores, the FDA said.