Health officials trace E. coli and salmonella outbreak to Minnesota alfalfa grower

Jeremy Olson, Star Tribune on Aug 20, 2026

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At least 23 Minnesotans have suffered foodborne infections and two have been hospitalized in an outbreak traced back to locally produced alfalfa sprouts.

The Minnesota Department of Health on Thursday urged people to discard any sprouts sold under the Everything Sprouts and Calco brands, which are available at numerous grocery chains, including Cub, Kowalski’s and Jerry’s. The producer provides sprouts to restaurants as well.

The outbreak is unusual in that it involves a single source but two different types of foodborne bacteria: salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. The latter, known by the acronym STEC, can result in more severe digestive problems and complications than illnesses from other E. coli strains.

“So far we have identified cases with one type of salmonella and three different types of STEC, and some persons had co-infections (infections caused by two different pathogens),” said Carlota Medus, a supervisor of the health department’s foodborne diseases unit.

The outbreak comes amid heightened public concern this summer about foodborne illnesses, following a salmonella outbreak linked to tainted jalapeños that sickened at least 431 people, including more than 118 people in Minnesota. Authorities also have raised concerns about more than 15,000 cases of cyclosporiasis in the U.S. — two-thirds of which have been linked to an outbreak involving tainted iceberg lettuce.

More than 50 cases of cyclosporiasis, known for causing explosive and prolonged diarrhea, have been reported so far this year in Minnesota. But state officials said that total is typical for this time of year and that the cases don’t appear connected to the wider outbreak. Some were related to foods eaten during international travel.

Wisconsin also has reported at least 18 cases of salmonella related to the latest alfalfa outbreak, which was identified through a cooperative investigation involving federal agencies and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. No deaths have been linked to the outbreak.

The illnesses identified so far in Minnesota occurred between July 8 and Aug. 8. The investigation is ongoing, and health officials expect more cases to emerge as word of the outbreak spreads.

Medus said the investigation linking the two illnesses to one source was tricky. But only about 7% of people eat sprouts in a given week, she said, so the food stuck out as a suspicious source once sickened people started listing what they had eaten immediately before their illnesses.

“We interviewed our cases and identified that they had eaten sandwiches containing sprouts at various restaurants, while ruling out other exposures in common,” she said. A review of invoices then identified the common source of the sprouts.

Everything Sprouts didn’t immediately respond to a call for comment and hadn’t issued a statement on its website. The company was formed by the combination of Calco Sprouts, founded in Minneapolis in 1991, and Pyramid Sprouters, founded in Rockford in 1979.

Everything Sprouts received a warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last year after a 2024 inspection found unsanitary conditions that put its sprouts at risk of being “contaminated with filth.”

Salmonella isn’t uncommon, being reported in more than 1,000 illnesses each year in Minnesota. Some cases are related to broad foodborne outbreaks while others are isolated. A quarter of cases involve people who returned from international travel. Common symptoms include diarrhea, stomach pains and fever. About one in four cases require hospital care.

STEC is less common, with about 85 illnesses in Minnesota each year. A toxin released by the bacteria can cause more damage and kidney failure in severe cases.

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