A package of broccoli sprouts is the kind of food that can disappear into the back of a refrigerator surprisingly quickly.
They might have been purchased for sandwiches, salads or wraps, used once or twice and then forgotten behind a container of leftovers.
But federal health officials are now asking consumers to check carefully for recalled broccoli sprouts after a multistate Salmonella outbreak grew to 32 confirmed illnesses across six states.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Food and Drug Administration are investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Bovismorbificans infections linked to broccoli sprouts produced by Evergreen Fresh Sprouts LLC of Moyie Springs, Idaho.
As of the September 24 update, three people have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported.
The CDC’s advice for anyone who still has the recalled sprouts is straightforward:
Don’t eat them. Throw them away or return them.
Read the CDC’s official outbreak notice and see the recalled broccoli sprouts
Which Broccoli Sprouts Are Being Recalled?
The recall involves broccoli sprouts produced by Evergreen Fresh Sprouts LLC.
According to the FDA and CDC, the recalled sprouts were packaged in plastic bags or plastic clamshell containers and carried expiration dates of:
September 7
September 9
September 11
September 14
September 16
The FDA says the products should now be past their expiration dates and should no longer be available for sale.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean every package has disappeared from consumers’ homes.
Someone may have purchased sprouts and forgotten about them in the refrigerator. A package could also be sitting in a second refrigerator or somewhere else food is stored.
That’s why the CDC continues to tell consumers who have recalled broccoli sprouts at home to throw them away or return them.
See the FDA’s outbreak investigation and recalled-product information
There’s Also a More Specific Package Families Can Look For
The company’s recall announcement provides additional information that may help consumers identify some of the affected sprouts.
Evergreen Fresh Sprouts recalled 215 cases of 4-ounce broccoli sprouts packaged in clear plastic zip-lock bags.
Those packages have:
UPC: 8 38796 00105 1
and use-by dates of:
9/07/26
9/09/26
9/11/26
9/14/26
9/16/26
The company said the product was delivered to three distributors in Washington between August 24 and September 2 and may have been further distributed to retailers.
See the FDA-posted Evergreen Fresh Sprouts recall notice and product photos
Where Were the Sprouts Sold?
Federal officials say the recalled Evergreen Fresh Sprouts broccoli sprouts were sold to grocery stores, restaurants, food co-ops and other food-service customers in:
Idaho
Montana
Washington
But there’s an important qualification.
The FDA says the product may have been distributed further and reached additional states.
That matters because illnesses have already been identified outside those three states.
The six states with confirmed outbreak illnesses are:
Idaho
Minnesota
Montana
Oregon
Utah
Washington
So consumers shouldn’t automatically dismiss the outbreak simply because they don’t live in Idaho, Montana or Washington.
CDC also cautions that the outbreak may not be limited to the states where illnesses have already been identified.
Investigators Have Found Strong Evidence Linking the Sprouts to the Outbreak
Foodborne illness investigations can begin with interviews.
Health officials ask people what they ate before becoming sick and look for foods that appear unusually often.
But this investigation now includes several different types of evidence.
Of 27 people interviewed, 26—or 96%—reported eating sprouts or microgreens.
Twenty-two specifically reported eating broccoli sprouts, while another person reported eating a microgreen mix containing broccoli microgreens.
Investigators also traced broccoli sprouts eaten by sick people back to Evergreen Fresh Sprouts.
Then laboratory testing provided another important connection.
Officials in Washington collected Evergreen Fresh Sprouts-brand broccoli sprouts from a grocery store and a sick person’s home.
Both samples tested positive for Salmonella.
Whole genome sequencing showed that the bacteria in those samples matched the Salmonella Bovismorbificans outbreak strain making people sick.
That combination of epidemiological, traceback and laboratory evidence is why federal agencies are identifying Evergreen Fresh Sprouts broccoli sprouts as the source of this outbreak.
The Outbreak Has Grown Since It Was First Announced
When federal officials announced the investigation earlier in September, there were 22 confirmed illnesses across four states.
By September 24, investigators had identified 10 additional illnesses and two additional states, bringing the total to:
32 illnesses
6 states
3 hospitalizations
0 deaths
Illnesses began between July 7 and September 3, 2026.
And those numbers may still not tell the entire story.
CDC Says the Real Number of Illnesses Is Probably Higher
Thirty-two confirmed cases doesn’t necessarily mean only 32 people became sick.
CDC says the actual number of illnesses in this outbreak is likely much higher than the reported number.
There are two major reasons.
Many people who become sick with Salmonella recover without visiting a doctor, so they are never tested.
There is also a reporting delay.
CDC says it generally takes three to four weeks to determine whether a sick person is part of an outbreak.
That means more recent illnesses may not yet appear in the federal case count.
It also means the outbreak could ultimately involve people in additional states.
What Should You Do if You Find the Recalled Sprouts?
Don’t eat them.
Don’t serve them.
And don’t try to determine whether they’re safe based on smell, appearance or taste.
CDC says consumers should throw the recalled broccoli sprouts away or return them.
If you’re unsure whether an old package of sprouts in your refrigerator matches the recall, compare the packaging and expiration date with the official product information and photographs.
And if you can’t confidently determine what the sprouts are, the safest approach is not to eat questionable old sprouts.
Don’t Forget to Clean the Refrigerator
Throwing away the sprouts isn’t necessarily the final step.
CDC tells consumers to wash items and surfaces that may have touched the recalled sprouts using hot soapy water or a dishwasher.
FDA similarly advises customers who purchased or received the recalled sprouts to carefully clean and sanitize surfaces or containers they touched to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
That could include:
Refrigerator shelves or drawers.
Reusable produce containers.
Salad containers.
Cutting boards.
Knives.
Bowls.
Countertops.
Containers used to store the sprouts after opening.
And don’t forget your hands after handling a recalled product.
What Are the Symptoms of Salmonella?
Most people infected with Salmonella experience:
Diarrhea
Fever
Stomach cramps
CDC says symptoms typically begin six hours to six days after swallowing the bacteria.
Most people recover without treatment within four to seven days.
But Salmonella infections can sometimes become much more serious.
Young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems have a greater risk of severe illness.
When Should Someone Call a Healthcare Provider?
CDC advises calling a healthcare provider right away for certain symptoms.
Those include:
Diarrhea accompanied by a fever higher than 102°F
Diarrhea lasting more than two days without improving
Bloody diarrhea
Vomiting so severe that liquids can’t be kept down
or signs of dehydration, including:
Not urinating much
Dry mouth and throat
Feeling dizzy when standing
If someone has recently eaten the recalled broccoli sprouts and develops symptoms consistent with Salmonella infection, tell the healthcare provider about the possible exposure.
That information can be useful when deciding whether testing or other care is appropriate.
Why Can Sprouts Be a Food-Safety Problem?
Sprouts have a characteristic that makes them different from many other vegetables.
To grow sprouts, seeds are placed in the kind of warm and humid conditions that bacteria also thrive in.
If harmful bacteria are present on or inside the seeds, those growing conditions can allow the bacteria to multiply.
And unlike vegetables that are routinely cooked before eating, sprouts are frequently eaten raw or only lightly cooked.
That combination can create a food-safety challenge.
It doesn’t mean every package of sprouts contains Salmonella.
It does help explain why sprouts have been involved in multiple foodborne-illness investigations over the years.
Don’t Confuse This With the Other Sprout Outbreak
This is particularly important right now.
Federal health officials are investigating another separate outbreak involving alfalfa sprouts.
That investigation involves both Shiga toxin-producing E. coli and Salmonella and is connected to different products and growers.
The FDA explicitly says the Evergreen Fresh Sprouts broccoli-sprout outbreak is being investigated separately from the E. coli and Salmonella outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts.
So if you’ve recently seen another headline about sprouts, don’t assume it is the same recall.
This article concerns Evergreen Fresh Sprouts broccoli sprouts and Salmonella Bovismorbificans.
The Expiration Dates Have Passed, but the Warning Still Matters
At first glance, this recall may seem as though it should have resolved itself.
The latest affected expiration date is September 16.
We’re already beyond that.
FDA acknowledges that these products should now be past expiration and no longer available for sale.
But federal agencies haven’t removed their consumer warning.
There may still be an old package sitting in someone’s refrigerator.
There may be food prepared earlier using the product.
And the outbreak investigation itself remains active.
So this isn’t a story about whether you should avoid every package of broccoli sprouts currently being sold.
It’s about making sure recalled Evergreen Fresh Sprouts products aren’t still sitting in your home.
Why the Laboratory Evidence Matters
Food recalls and outbreak investigations don’t all have the same level of evidence behind them.
Sometimes officials begin an investigation because several sick people report eating the same type of food.
In this case, investigators now have substantially more.
They have interviewed patients.
They have traceback information.
They have tested actual broccoli sprouts.
And whole genome sequencing showed that Salmonella found in Evergreen Fresh Sprouts broccoli sprouts matches the strain making people sick in the outbreak.
The FDA says epidemiological, laboratory and traceback data support the connection between the recalled broccoli sprouts and the illnesses.
That is an important reason consumers should take the recall seriously even if the package in their refrigerator looks completely normal.
What About Broccoli Sprouts From Another Company?
The current federal outbreak warning specifically identifies broccoli sprouts produced by Evergreen Fresh Sprouts LLC.
It does not say that every broccoli sprout from every company is recalled.
That’s another reason to check the packaging rather than simply throwing away unrelated produce because it happens to be the same type of food.
Look for the manufacturer, package information and expiration dates.
If you still aren’t sure whether something in your refrigerator is affected, use the photographs and product information on the CDC and FDA pages to compare it.
One Quick Refrigerator Check Can Settle It
Most people probably don’t remember the expiration date printed on a package of sprouts they bought several weeks ago.
And that’s exactly why this recall is worth a quick refrigerator check.
Look for Evergreen Fresh Sprouts broccoli sprouts with expiration or use-by dates of:
September 7, 9, 11, 14 or 16, 2026.
For the recalled 4-ounce clear plastic bags described in the company announcement, look for:
UPC 8 38796 00105 1.
If you find them, don’t eat them.
Throw them away or return them.
Then wash and sanitize surfaces or containers they may have touched.
The outbreak has already grown from 22 cases to 32, and federal investigators say the true number of illnesses is likely higher than the official count.
A package that should have expired weeks ago may seem unlikely to still be around.
But refrigerators have a way of hiding things.
And checking the back of the produce drawer takes considerably less time than wondering later whether something your family ate was part of a federal outbreak investigation.
Sources
CDC — Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Broccoli Sprouts
CDC — September 24 Investigation Update
FDA — Salmonella Sprouts Outbreak Investigation
FDA — Evergreen Fresh Sprouts Recall Notice and Product Photos