Class I · Recall · initiated July 22, 2026 · Ongoing
Coast Citrus recalls bulk Mexican jalapeños, and five downstream firms follow
A San Diego importer, trading as Coast Tropical, recalled bulk jalapeño peppers for potential Salmonella Javiana; the peppers had gone to wholesalers and been redistributed nationwide, and four repackers plus Whole Foods' own guacamole and salsa were recalled within two weeks.
The record
- Firm
- Coast Citrus Distributors, San Diego, CA
- Product
- Jalapeno Pepper packaged in bulk generic Coast Tropical cardboard packaging. Packaged in assorted bulk package sizes (10lbs, 40lbs, 35lbs, 20lbs, 38lbs 1 1/9 Bushel) ; Product of MX; Coast Tropical TX UPCs 73296608113; 73296600558; 73296610927; 73296600559; 732966107055; 02060042710
- Reason, as filed
- “Potential Salmonella Javiana contamination”
- Classification
- Class I (Class I: reasonable probability of serious health consequences or death)
- Recall number
- H-1242-2026
- Initiated
- July 22, 2026
- Posted by FDA
- August 26, 2026
- Status
- Ongoing · Voluntary: Firm initiated
- Quantity
- 53,760 Cases
- Distribution
- Products were distributed primarily to wholesale distributors in the central and east coast states. Product has been further distributed nationwide and is packaged in bulk containers intended for further processing. No retail distribution has been identified as of 08/10/2026.
Verify: search any recall number above in FDA's enforcement report database.
Why it happened, in plain English
This is the top of a cascade. Coast Citrus Distributors of San Diego, trading as Coast Tropical, imported jalapeños from Mexico in bulk cartons of 10 to 40 pounds and sold them to wholesalers, who, per the record, distributed them further nationwide. The filed reason is potential Salmonella Javiana.
Within the first week of August, Sirna & Sons Produce, Dairyland Produce and Get Fresh Produce each recalled repacked jalapeños, and WFM Purchasing (Whole Foods) recalled ten pico de gallo and guacamole products “made with jalapenos that may be contaminated.” Every one is Class I. The brand on the guacamole tub never bought from the importer; three companies sat between them.
Who else should care
Anyone who buys fresh produce through a wholesaler and puts it into a finished product: salsa makers, meal-kit assemblers, deli counters, private-label kitchens. Your supplier’s supplier is your risk, and FDA’s record names only the recalling firm at each step, never the whole chain.
Check: for each fresh ingredient, can you name the importer two steps up? If the answer is “our distributor handles that,” you will learn about the next one the way Whole Foods did.
Related actions
Written 2026-09-08. Analysis is editorial; the record above is FDA's.