Taylor Farms recalls salsa and guacamole over salmonella risk

Aug 9 (Reuters) – Taylor Farms said on Sunday it was recalling prepared food items containing jalapeños from retailers over concerns about potential salmonella contamination, a few weeks after removing lettuce from Mexico that U.S. authorities linked to the cyclospora parasite.

The California-based supplier said it had voluntarily recalled the products, including salsas and guacamole, after being notified that Coast Citrus Distributors was recalling the fresh peppers.

Taylor said in a statement it was no longer sourcing from a farmer in Sinaloa, Mexico, that was identified as the potential source of the salmonella outbreak.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said earlier this week they were investigating the salmonella outbreak, which had sickened 345 people across 27 states and led to 36 hospitalizations.

The U.S. investigation identified restaurants including Chipotle Mexican Grill and Qdoba, a Mexican-style restaurant chain, as having received jalapeños imported by Coast Citrus Distributors. Both restaurants stopped using them, while Coast Citrus recalled the remaining product and notified customers.

Taylor said it is unaware of any reported illnesses linked to the voluntarily recalled items.

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.

Taylor was already facing heightened scrutiny over an outbreak of cyclosporiasis, which causes severe diarrhea.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it had linked the cyclosporiasis to Taylor Farms products from Central Mexico, although the company said the FDA had not confirmed positive sample tests for cyclospora on its lettuce as of August 5.

Taylor Farms said it voluntarily suspended all iceberg lettuce sourcing and production from central Mexico and commissioned a safety review.

(Reporting by Abu Sultan in Bengaluru and Isla Binnie in New York; Editing by Nick Zieminski, Sergio Non and Kevin Buckland)