Twenty-two confirmed infections and two hospitalizations across Washington, Montana, Idaho, and Utah have been linked to broccoli sprouts from Evergreen Fresh Sprouts, LLC. The serotype is Salmonella Bovismorbificans, which is unusual enough that it made the traceback easier. The grower pulled the product from distribution. As of September 9, no public recall notice had been posted.
Read that last sentence again. The product was implicated, the product was pulled from stores, and the consumer with a container of sprouts already in the fridge had no way to know.
Sprouts, specifically
Sprouts are a known problem. The seeds are sprouted in warm, wet conditions that are ideal for growing sprouts and equally ideal for growing Salmonella and E. coli. If the seed is contaminated, the sprouting process amplifies it. They’re eaten raw. FDA has warned about sprouts for years and they show up in outbreak reports with a regularity that most produce doesn’t. None of that is news to the industry. The grower here almost certainly knew it.
Why a quiet withdrawal isn’t the same as a recall
There’s a difference between pulling product from distribution and issuing a recall. A withdrawal stops new product from reaching shelves. A recall tells the public what’s already out there, with lot numbers and dates, so they can throw it away. From a company’s point of view, a withdrawal without a notice is cleaner: no press, no name in a headline. From the consumer’s point of view, it’s the difference between knowing and not.
This is the same gap I keep writing about from different angles. The Fifth Circuit says there’s no constitutional right to accurate information from the government. The 9/11 records show what happens when a city has data and doesn’t share it. And here’s a private grower with a confirmed outbreak and no notice. In every case, the person at the end of the chain, the one eating the sprouts or breathing the dust, is the last to know.
If you bought broccoli sprouts in the Pacific Northwest or the Mountain West in the last few weeks, throw them out. Nobody’s going to send you a letter.
What we know
- 22 confirmed Salmonella Bovismorbificans infections, 2 hospitalizations, across WA, MT, ID, and UT, linked to broccoli sprouts from Evergreen Fresh Sprouts, LLC.
- Product pulled from distribution; no public recall notice posted as of September 9, 2026.
What we don’t know yet
- Whether a formal recall notice will be issued.
- Distribution dates and lot numbers of the implicated product.
Sources
eFoodAlert, September 9, 2026: https://efoodalert.com/2026/09/09/recalls-and-alerts-september-9-2026/
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