Salmonella outbreak linked to jalapeños at Chipotle, Qdoba expands to 27 states

Chipotle and Qdoba say they have removed the jalapeños from their restaurants.

Federal health officials are investigating a salmonella outbreak tied to jalapeños that has sickened 345 people in 27 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.

The jalapeños were supplied by California-based Coast Citrus Distributors and sourced from Mexico, the CDC said. They were served at Chipotle, Qdoba and other restaurants.

Minnesota and Colorado account for the vast majority of cases, with 110 each. Illinois has reported 30 cases and Kansas 13. The remaining states are Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Thirty-six people have been hospitalized, the CDC said. No deaths have been reported.

Chipotle said Tuesday that it had removed jalapeños from its menu “out of an abundance of caution.” On Wednesday, Qdoba said it had “proactively removed jalapeños from all our restaurants.”