Alfalfa sprout outbreak linked to seed lot SAL2-24JB reaches 76 illnesses in 16 states

FDA's October 1 update, detected by TiPH on October 2, says the multistate outbreak linked to recalled alfalfa seed lot SAL2-24JB totals 76 people in 16 states: 64 with STEC, 9 with Salmonella Agona and 3 with both. Six people were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Illness onsets range from May 31 to September 7, 2026. Of 50 people interviewed, 40 (80 percent) reported sprouts and 35 (70 percent) specified alfalfa sprouts. The investigation remains ongoing. The 16 illness states are not the product-distribution list. FDA's case-count table lists confirmed distribution in 45 states and Puerto Rico and says product could have been distributed further. Seed from the lot was also shipped to growers and distributors, including international shipments to Canada, Mexico, Tahiti and Venezuela. An earlier update on the same page said sprouts from one grower were a source of illnesses and did not explain all of them. The September recall notice's report of one illness to the company is a different unit from the 76-person outbreak total and is not added to it. FDA's instruction is specific to recalled sprouts and recalled sprouting seeds.