Alfalfa Sprouts Contaminated With Both E. coli, Salmonella Sicken 55 People in 15 States
A multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and Salmonella infections linked to alfalfa sprouts has sickened 55 people in 15 states.
The implicated products were distributed by Everything Sprouts LLC of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Outbreak strains include STEC serotypes O26:H11, O103:H25, and O168:H8 and one strain of Salmonella Agona. Some people were infected with more than one outbreak strain.
Of the 55 cases, 46 people were infected with E. coli, seven were infected with Salmonella, and two were infected with both pathogens. A total of four people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
Illness onset dates ranged from May 31–August 8, 2026. Of 34 people interviewed by state and local public health officials about foods they ate before becoming ill, 26 (76 percent) reported eating alfalfa sprouts.
Traceback evidence collected from restaurants and grocery stores identified alfalfa sprouts distributed by Everything Sprouts as a source of illnesses in the outbreak.
On August 19, FDA initiated an inspection and sample collection at Everything Sprouts. The agency said its investigation is ongoing to determine the source of contamination and whether additional products or firms are linked to illnesses.
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FDA has recommended that Everything Sprouts conduct a recall. In the meantime, consumers and retailers have been advised not to eat, serve, or sell alfalfa sprouts marketed under the Calco and Everything Sprouts brands.
Update, August 31, 2026: Everything Sprouts has expanded its recall to include certain lots of Robust Radish Sprout Mix because it has the potential for cross-contamination with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) or Salmonella from the recalled alfalfa sprouts.
While epidemiologic and traceback evidence show that alfalfa sprouts grown by Everything Sprouts LLC are one of the sources of illnesses in this outbreak, these sprouts do not explain all the illnesses. FDA’s traceback investigation has identified at least one additional sprout grower who received and used the same lot of alfalfa sprout seeds under investigation in this outbreak from a common seed supplier. The common seed supplier has instructed its customers not to use, grow, sell, transfer, or redistribute the implicated seed lot, and to return or dispose of any remaining seed.
FDA recommended that the common seed supplier voluntarily recall the implicated lot of alfalfa seeds and contact its downstream customers to initiate recalls of sprouts grown from the implicated seed lot, which the supplier has not yet done.
