Alfalfa seeds implicated in outbreak of E. coli and Salmonella recalled

Seeds were supplied to wholesale consignees in 16 states and internationally

September 10, 2026

International Sprout Holdings Inc. has recalled 43,799 lbs of alfalfa seeds that may be contaminated with E. coli and Salmonella. The recall notice appeared in today’s FDA Enforcement Reports update.

The seeds are described as “Alfalfa, Net Weight 50 lbs. bag, Product of USA, International Specialty Supply 1011 Volunteer Dr. Cookeville, TN 38506.” The recall extends to a single lot, identified as “ISS Lot # SAL2-24JB.”

International Sprout initiated the recall on August 23rd, notifying its customers by email.

Alfalfa seeds covered by this recall were supplied to wholesale consignees in California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Tahiti, and Venezuela. Neither the wholesale consignees nor the ultimate downstream recipients of the alfalfa seeds were named.

The backstory

On August 21, 2026, the CDC and FDA announced that they were investigating a 15-state outbreak of 55 confirmed cases of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (multiple serotypes include: O26:H11, O103:H25, O168:H8) and Salmonella Agona infections associated with consumption of alfalfa sprouts produced by Everything Sprouts, LLC of Minneapolis, MN.

Forty-six people were infected with one of the E. coli outbreak strains, 7 people were infected with Salmonella, and 2 people were infected with both Salmonella and E. coli.

Four of the victims were hospitalized.

Everything Sprouts announced a recall of three varieties of sprout products the following day and expanded the recall to include a fourth variety one week later.

But according to an investigation update issued on August 31st, sprouts produced by Everthing Sprouts did not account for all of the outbreak illnesses. The FDA’s traceback investigation identified at least one additional sprout grower who received the same batch of alfalfa seeds that had been supplied to Everything Sprouts.

The FDA recommended that the seed supplier voluntarily recall the suspect batch of seeds and contact its downstream customers to initiate recalls of sprouts grown from the those seeds.

The FDA did not name either the seed supplier (who we now know was International Sprout Holdings, Inc) or the second sprout grower, and there have been no other publically announced recalls of alfalfa sprouts in connection with this outbreak.

What to do?

This investigation is ongoing, and there has been no update from either the CDC or the FDA since August 31st.

The FDA offers the following recommendations to consumers and businesses:

Do not eat, sell, or serve recalled sprouts.
Check your refrigerators and freezers for recalled sprouts and throw them away or return the product to the place of purchase. If you froze a product without the original packaging and can’t tell if it’s part of the affected sprouts, throw it away.
Consumers, restaurants, retailers, and foodservice customers who purchased or received recalled sprouts, including wholesale products, should carefully clean and sanitize any surfaces or containers that they touched. Follow FDA’s safe handling and cleaning advice to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
Retailers that received recalled sprouts and repackaged them for individual sale should not sell them and should remove the products from the market.
Consult your health care provider immediately if you ate recalled sprouts and have any symptoms that resemble an STEC or Salmonella infection.

The FoodBugLady recommends:

DO NOT EAT RAW SPROUTS!

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Second possible source in outbreak linked to sprouts

Both companies share common seed supplier

August 31, 2026

Sprouts produced by Everything Sprouts, LLC do not account for all of the E. coli and Salmonella illnesses currently under investigation in a multistate outbreak that has caused 55 illnesses so far.

The FDA‘s traceback investigation has identified a second sprout grower who received seeds from the same outfit that supplied alfalfa seeds to Everything Sprouts.

The 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.

Neither the second sprouting operation nor the seed supplier have been named by the FDA.

The FDA has requested that the seed supplier initiate a voluntary recall of the implicated lot of seeds and also contact their customers to recommend a recall of the sprouts produced from those seeds. The supplier has not responded to the recall request, nor have they contacted their downstream customers to recommend recalls.

The FDA is continuing its investigation of both sprout producers and of the potentially contaminated lot of seeds that was supplied to both companies.

Current outbreak and recall status

As of today, the CDC has not updated its case count, which stands at 55 confirmed cases, including 4 people hospitalized, in fifteen states. Seven of the victims were infected with Salmonella Agona, while 46 were confirmed to be infected with one of three strains of E. coli. At least two individuals suffered a double whammy—infected with both E. coli and Salmonella.

On August 28th, Everything Sprouts expanded its initial recall of three sprout products to include a fourth product due to what the FDA described as a risk of cross-contamination.

What you need to know

FDA recommends the following:

Do not eat, sell, or serve recalled sprouts.
Check your refrigerators and freezers for recalled sprouts and throw them away or return the product to the place of purchase. If you froze a product without the original packaging and can’t tell if it’s part of the affected sprouts, throw it away.
Consumers, restaurants, retailers, and foodservice customers who purchased or received recalled sprouts, including wholesale products, should carefully clean and sanitize any surfaces or containers that they touched. Follow FDA’s safe handling and cleaning advice to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
Retailers that received recalled sprouts and repackaged them for individual sale should not sell them and should remove the products from the market.
Consult your health care provider immediately if you ate recalled sprouts and have any symptoms that resemble an STEC or Salmonella infection.

eFoodAlert adds one more: AVOID RAW SPROUTS, whether or not they have been recalled.

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Everything Sprouts recalls alfalfa sprouts fingered in Salmonella and E. coli outbreak

Products linked to 55 confirmed illnesses in 15 states

Everything Sprouts, LLC (Minneapolis, MN) is recalling multiple lot codes of three alfalfa sprout products after the company’s alfalfa sprouts were linked to an outbreak of Salmonella and shiga toxin-producing E. coli infections in 15 states.

The products were sold under the Everything Sprouts and Calco brand names, and were distributed from May 27, 2026 to August 21, 2026 to wholesale distributors and to grocery stores located in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The following products are included in this recall:

Alfalfa Sprouts:- 5 oz plastic containers; Lots #222, 223, 225, 226, 230
Zesty Garlic Mix:- 5 oz cups; Lots #222, 223, 225, 226, 230
Crunchy Protein Sprout Mix:- 5 oz cups; Lots #222, 223, 226, 230

The outbreak

Between May 31st and August 8th, 2026, fifty-five people developed symptoms of gastrointestinal illnesses that were confirmed by lab tests to be due to an infection with either Salmonella Agona or one of three strains of shiga toxin-producing E. coli (O26:H11, O103:H25, and O168:H8). Forty-six people were infected with an E. coli strain, 7 people were infected with Salmonella, and 2 people were infected with both Salmonella and E. coli.

Four people have been hospitalized.

Of the 34 people interviewed as part of the outbreak investigation, 26 (76%) reported eating alfalfa sprouts in the week before becoming ill. Traceback information from Minnesota and Wisconsin restaurants where some of the outbreak victims had eaten identified alfalfa sprouts distributed by Everything Sprouts as a source of illness in this outbreak.

Minnesota (21) and Wisconsin (17) account for the largest number of outbreak cases. The thirteen other states identified in the CDC report are: Florida (2), Indiana (1), Iowa (1), Kansas (1), Michigan (1), New Hampshire (1), New York (2), North Carolina (2), North Dakota (2), Pennsylvania (1), South Carolina (1), South Dakota (1), and Washington (1).

The company

Everything Sprouts, LLC registered as a business entity in Minnesota in 2022 and purchased an existing sprouting facility in Minneapolis that had been in operation since 2009.

The facility had been inspected by the FDA several times between 2009 and 2021 while under its previous ownership, and had a record of unsatisfactory results, with problems ranging from inadequate plumbing to deficiencies in plant design and inadequate protections against product contamination. Except for the 2009 inspection, the facility was classified as “Voluntary Action Indicated” on each occasion.

In November 2023, with the sprouting facility now under new ownership, the FDA conducted another inspection. The inspectors documented multiple issues including:

not testing water quality using a scientifically valid method
no adequate written corrective action plan in the environmental monitoring program
absence of or inadquate measures to prevent contamination of produce and food contact surfaces
sanitizing food contact surfaces was not conducted as frequently as necessary to prevent produce contamination
inadequate storage and maintenance of equipment and tools

The results of the inspection were classified as “Voluntary Action Indicated.”

One year later, the FDA returned, and found that very little had changed. If anything, the situation at Everything Sprouts had gone downhill. Except for the testing method for water quality, every single deficiency observed during the 2023 inspection was still present. In addition, the FDA inspector documented a roof leak in the warehouse and another leak through the ceiling tiles in the middle of the production room, just four feet from the packaging tables. Water from the production room leak also was dripping onto totes of cooled, exposed mung bean sprouts. Condensation was dripping from the condenser unit inside the coolers storing mung bean sprouts.

Water leaks and condensation drips were not the only issues. Maintenance, cleaning, and sanitizing of food contact surfaces used to grow, harvest, pack or hold sprouts was inadequate. The inspector noted a build-up of black organic matter on the hose of the overhead irrigation system directly over exposed soy sprouts and a white build-up on the interier surface of plastic sheets enclosing the soy sprout growing cabins. The plastic sheets were ripped in several places and had been repaired with tape. The inspector observed sprouts adhering to the tape in multiple locations.

This inspection was classified “Official Action Indicated,” a category the FDA uses for its highest level of concern.

After several months of back-and-forth communications between the company and the FDA, the agency issued a Warning Letter on March 28, 2025. The letter detailed the outstanding issues, and required a response from the company within fifteen working days, specifying how each of the remaining issues had been addressed.

As far as the FDA’s inspection database shows, the agency never returned to Everything Sprouts to determine whether the violative outstanding issues had been corrected.

Now what?

The FDA initiated an inspection of the sprouting facility, including sample collection, on August 19, 2026. The agency, together with the CDC and state partners, is also continuing its investigation to determine the source of the contamination and whether additional products or firms are implicated in the outbreak. It is possible, for example, that the seeds used to grow the sprouts were contaminated to begin with, and may have been supplied to more than one sprouting operation.

Meanwhile, the FDA offers the following recommendations.

Do not eat, sell, or serve alfalfa sprouts sold under the Calco and Everything Sprouts brands.
Check your refrigerators and freezers for Calco and Everything Sprouts-brand alfalfa sprouts and throw them away or return the product to the place of purchase. If you froze a product without the original packaging and can’t tell if it’s part of the affected sprouts, throw it away.
Consumers, restaurants, retailers, and foodservice customers who purchased or received Calco and Everything Sprouts-brand alfalfa sprouts, including wholesale products, should carefully clean and sanitize any surfaces or containers that it touched. Follow FDA’s safe handling and cleaning advice to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
Retailers that received Calco and Everything Sprouts-brand alfalfa sprouts and repackaged them for individual sale should not sell them and should remove the products from the market.
Consult your health care provider immediately if you ate Calco and/or Everything Sprouts-brands alfalfa sprouts and have any symptoms that resemble an STEC or Salmonella infection.

To these official recommendations, I would add one more, based on a half-century of following foodborne disease outbreaks.

DO NOT eat raw sprouts of any sort. The risk is too high.

Interested in learning more about food safety and the history of foodborne disease outbreaks and investigations?

Click on the link to listen to a short excerpt, then follow the buy links to add a digital, print or audio copy to your personal library.

Chapter 6. Birth of a Pathogen

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