Some meat products containing jalapeños may be linked to salmonella outbreak, USDA says

Federal officials on Saturday issued a public health alert for meat products containing jalapeños that may be linked to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened hundreds of people across at least 27 states. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service, or FSIS, said the alert applied to red meat and poultry products containing jalapeños that may be contaminated with salmonella. The USDA said that it learned of the issue when it discovered that multiple establishments that are regulated by FSIS had received a recalled ingredient. It released a list of 18 recalled products that are impacted by the alert. Those included the brands Taylor Farms, Ready Meals, Meal Simple, Higher Harvest and Deli Kitchen. The agency said in a statement that it "expects additional downstream products will be identified as this ingredient recall progresses."The first illnesses in the salmonella outbreak were reported in mid-June, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and were linked to jalapeño peppers grown in Sinaloa, Mexico, and distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors to wholesalers, restaurants and food service companies. The USDA said that so far "there have been no confirmed reports of illness" from products regulated by FSIS that contain jalapeños that were sourced from Sinaloa. As of Aug. 5, the outbreak had sickened at least 345 people, 36 of whom have been hospitalized, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. Minnesota was particularly hard hit, with at least 110 cases confirmed in the state. Data compiled by the CDC found that of 191 patients that were interviewed about their illness, 93% reported eating at a Mexican-stye restaurant before falling sick, including popular chains Chipotle and Qdoba. Chipotle announced this week that it had pulled jalapeños from some of its restaurants, and Qdoba followed suit soon after. On Saturday, grocery giant Albertsons announced that it was voluntarily recalling four items containing jalapenos — salsa and corn salad — supplied by Taylor Farms. CBS News has reached out to Taylor Farms for comment. Symptoms of salmonella can include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. Those symptoms can begin anywhere from six hours to six days after consuming the bacteria, the CDC says.