Alfalfa sprouts grown by Everything Sprouts of Minneapolis have been linked to a multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) and Salmonella Agona. As of FDA’s August 31, 2026 update, the agencies reported 55 illnesses in 15 states, including four hospitalizations and no deaths.
The recalled sprouts were sold under the Everything Sprouts and Calco brands and were also used in several Everything Sprouts sprout mixes. Everything Sprouts expanded that recall on August 28 to add Robust Radish Sprout Mix, and FDA published the expanded recall on August 29.
FDA traceback evidence identified alfalfa sprouts distributed by Everything Sprouts of Minneapolis as one source of illnesses, but investigators now say those sprouts do not explain the entire outbreak. In an August 31 update, FDA said at least one additional sprout grower received and used the same implicated lot of alfalfa seed from a common supplier. Neither the additional grower nor the seed supplier has been publicly named.
That means the outbreak may involve sprouts grown from that seed lot by other companies that may still be on the market under other brand names with no public recall. FDA recommended that the seed supplier recall the implicated lot and tell its customers to do the same, and in its August 31 update the agency said the supplier had not done so.
Everything Sprouts has recalled affected Calco and Everything Sprouts alfalfa sprouts, Crunchy Protein Sprout Mix and Zesty Garlic Mix. Everything Sprouts expanded the recall on August 28, and FDA published it on August 29, to include certain lots of Robust Radish Sprout Mix because of potential cross-contamination from the recalled alfalfa sprouts.
Pritzker Hageman’s food safety lawyers are following the investigation in their report on the Everything Sprouts and Calco alfalfa sprouts outbreak.
What officials have confirmed so far
CDC and FDA announced the multistate outbreak on August 21, 2026. Of the 55 people sickened in 15 states, 46 were infected with STEC, seven with Salmonella Agona and two with both pathogens. Four people have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported. Illnesses began between May 31 and August 8.
Investigators identified Everything Sprouts alfalfa sprouts as a source of the outbreak through epidemiologic and traceback evidence. Of 34 people interviewed, 26 reported eating alfalfa sprouts before becoming sick. FDA began an inspection and sample collection at Everything Sprouts on August 19.
Minnesota and Wisconsin were the first states to publicly announce the outbreak on August 20, before federal officials described its full national scope. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, 23 Minnesotans became ill between July 8 and August 8, with two hospitalizations. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported 17 Wisconsin cases and one hospitalization. Although Minnesota’s announcement referred to 18 Wisconsin cases, neither state release explains the one-case difference.
Recall information has also changed since the outbreak was first announced. Everything Sprouts posted its initial voluntary recall on August 21, and FDA published a more detailed announcement on August 22 identifying affected Everything Sprouts and Calco products and lot numbers. The recall covers 5-ounce alfalfa sprouts in lots 222, 223, 225, 226 and 230, along with Crunchy Protein Sprout Mix and Zesty Garlic Mix made with affected alfalfa sprouts. On August 29, FDA published an expanded recall adding Robust Radish Sprout Mix in lots 223, 226, 230 and 233.
The investigation broadened on August 31, when FDA said Everything Sprouts does not account for all illnesses in the outbreak. Investigators identified at least one additional sprout grower that received and used the same implicated lot of alfalfa seed from a common supplier. FDA is now investigating contamination of that seed as well as other factors that may have contributed to the outbreak.
FDA also recommended that the common seed supplier voluntarily recall the implicated lot of alfalfa seeds and contact its downstream customers so they could begin their own recalls. In that same August 31 update, FDA said the seed supplier had not responded to that recommendation, had not sent a recall notice to downstream customers and had not instructed the customers who received the implicated seed lot to begin recalls. FDA’s page was still carrying that August 31 update as its current update when this article was last checked on September 6, 2026.
Pritzker Hageman keeps a running resource on sprout recalls and the claims that come out of them.
The sprouts and where they were sold
The alfalfa sprouts were produced by Everything Sprouts, a Minnesota grower, and sold under two brand names, Calco and Everything Sprouts. Minnesota officials say the sprouts went to restaurants and grocery stores. Because sprouts are often added to sandwiches, wraps and salads at the point of service, a person can eat them without ever seeing a package or a brand name, which is one reason sprout outbreaks are difficult to trace and difficult for the public to self-screen.
Sprouts have a long history as an outbreak food. The seeds are germinated in warm, humid conditions, and those same conditions favor bacterial growth, so a small amount of contamination on the seed can multiply through a batch. Pritzker Hageman explains the pattern in their piece on why E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria illnesses from sprouts keep recurring.
Past sprouts outbreaks include the E. coli outbreak tied to clover sprouts served at Jimmy John’s and a Salmonella outbreak that prompted sprout recalls in Canada.
Which Everything Sprouts and Calco Products are recalled?
The FDA recall announcement identifies these products:
- Everything Sprouts and Calco alfalfa sprouts, 5-ounce containers: lots 222, 223, 225, 226 and 230.
- Everything Sprouts Crunchy Protein Sprout Mix, 5-ounce cups: lots 222, 223, 226 and 230.
- Everything Sprouts Zesty Garlic Mix, 5-ounce cups: lots 222, 223, 225, 226 and 230.
- Robust Radish Sprout Mix, 5-ounce cups: lots 223, 226, 230 and 233.
The first three products were distributed from May 27 through August 21, 2026. Robust Radish Sprout Mix was distributed from August 13 through August 26 and added to the recall on August 28.
Illnesses have been reported in 15 states. People may have eaten sprouts in a restaurant, deli, sandwich, wrap, salad or other prepared food without ever seeing a package or brand name.
FDA had already documented problems at this facility
Everything Sprouts, LLC is not new to federal scrutiny. FDA inspected the company’s sprouting operation at 2751 Minnehaha Avenue in Minneapolis from October 30 through November 14, 2024, and issued a public warning letter dated March 28, 2025.
FDA’s investigator recorded a roof leaking through ceiling tiles in the middle of the production room, about four feet from the packaging tables, with water dripping onto totes of cooled, exposed mung bean sprouts as pallets moved through for packaging. A second roof leak in the warehouse dripped near a rack of clean smocks waiting to be worn by employees who handle produce. Condensate was dripping from condenser units inside the coolers holding sprouts. The investigator also found a build-up of black organic matter on the overhead irrigation hose running above exposed soy sprouts, and torn plastic sheeting around growing cabins that had been patched with tape, with sprouts stuck to the tape in several places.
FDA concluded that the company’s mung bean, soybean and green sprout products were adulterated because they had been prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions. The agency also noted that dripping condenser units had been observed at the same facility during inspections in 2018 and 2023, when it operated under different ownership, and that the company’s written response did not explain how it would fix the source of the roof leak. FDA closed by saying it would evaluate the adequacy of the corrective actions at its next inspection.
Two cautions belong with that history. The 2025 warning letter named mung bean, soybean and green sprouts, not alfalfa sprouts. And no agency has said that the conditions documented in 2024 caused the illnesses reported in 2026. The investigation into how these sprouts became contaminated is still open. What the letter does establish is that federal regulators had already put this operation on notice about water dripping onto exposed product, and that is a fact a family sickened this summer is entitled to know. We have written before about what an FDA warning letter to a sprout grower after an outbreak looks like.
Symptoms to watch for, and the one complication that changes everything
STEC infection usually brings stomach cramps and diarrhea, often bloody, with only a low-grade fever or none at all. The CDC says symptoms of an E. coli infection typically begin two to five days after exposure, though the range runs from one to eight days, and most people recover in five to seven days.
According to the CDC, Salmonella infection brings diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever, usually starting 12 to 96 hours after exposure, though onset can be delayed up to two weeks. Most infections clear in five to seven days, but about 28 percent of laboratory-confirmed Salmonella cases require hospitalization.
The complication to know about is hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS. A STEC infection can progress to HUS, a severe condition involving acute kidney failure. It most often strikes young children, and it can develop after the diarrhea seems to be improving. Warning signs include decreased urination, unusual paleness or fatigue, easy bruising, and swelling.
HUS is a medical emergency. Pritzker Hageman maintains detailed information on hemolytic uremic syndrome and E. coli kidney failure, and separate guidance for parents on what to do when a child is diagnosed with E. coli.
Past E. coli outbreaks have led to HUS infections, including a 2024 E. coli outbreak linked to Raw Farm cheddar cheese.
Diarrhea associated with STEC infection generally should not be treated with antibiotics, because antibiotics can promote the development of HUS. Anyone who believes they may have a STEC infection should contact a health care provider rather than self-treating.
What to do right now
- Check your refrigerator for recalled Everything Sprouts and Calco alfalfa sprouts, Crunchy Protein Sprout Mix, Zesty Garlic Mix and Robust Radish Sprout Mix. Do not eat recalled products.
- Save any package, lot information, receipt, photograph, delivery-app order or other record that may help identify the product or place of purchase.
- Do not treat the absence of a recall as proof a product is safe. FDA has said the implicated alfalfa seed lot also went to at least one other grower, and as of its August 31 update the seed supplier had not recalled that lot or told its customers to do so, so sprouts from it may still be sold under brands that carry no recall. If you are uncertain about any alfalfa sprouts you have, the safe choice is to throw them out.
- If you bought sprouts loose or ate them on a sandwich or salad at a restaurant or deli, you may not be able to identify the brand. Illnesses in this outbreak have been reported in 15 states with onsets going back to late May, so if you ate alfalfa sprouts anywhere since then and became ill, tell your doctor exactly what you ate and when.
- Clean any surfaces, containers or drawers the sprouts touched. STEC has a very low infectious dose, so cross-contamination in the refrigerator is a real route of exposure.
- See a doctor for bloody diarrhea, and ask for a stool culture. A culture is what puts your illness into the outbreak count and gives investigators the genetic fingerprint they need. It is also, later, the difference between a documented case and a suspected one.
- Watch a sick child closely even as the diarrhea improves, and seek emergency care for decreased urination, extreme paleness or unusual bruising.
Food Poisoning Bulletin is also tracking the investigation and posting updates as the states release them, in its coverage of the Calco and Everything Sprouts outbreak in Minnesota.
Can I sue for E. coli food poisoning?
Most people who get food poisoning recover at home and have no reason to call a lawyer. The illnesses that turn into cases are the serious ones: a child who develops HUS and needs dialysis, an adult hospitalized with kidney or neurological complications, a long hospital stay, lasting damage, or a death.
In this outbreak, federal health officials reported 55 illnesses in 15 states and four hospitalizations as of FDA’s August 31, 2026 update. No deaths have been reported. The investigation remains active, and additional illnesses or distribution information may still be identified.
When an outbreak is traced to a named grower and named brands, the legal questions are usually about the supply chain. Was the product adulterated when it left the facility? Did the grower meet the sprout safety requirements that apply to it? What did the retailer or restaurant know, and when? A confirmed laboratory match to the outbreak strain is powerful evidence, which is why the stool culture matters so much in an E. coli lawsuit.
Pritzker Hageman, a national food safety firm, handles these claims nationwide through its Bad Bug Law Team. Their attorneys have published legal guides on whether you can sue a grocery store for food poisoning, on E. coli outbreak litigation and on Salmonella claims and when to contact a lawyer. Because this outbreak centers on a Minnesota grower and Minnesota patients, their guide for Minnesota E. coli claims is a useful starting point, and their ongoing E. coli outbreak news coverage is where updates on this investigation will appear first.
