alfalfa seeds – eFoodAlert

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.