Katy-area H-E-B shoppers should check their refrigerators: dozens of jalapeño-containing products sold at the grocery chain are subject to a voluntary recall over potential salmonella contamination, and some best-by dates extend through Aug. 15, meaning affected items could still be sitting on kitchen shelves.
NatureBest Precut & Produce LLC, which operates facilities in Houston and Missouri City, announced the recall Aug. 8 after its supplier, San Diego-based Coast Citrus Distributors, notified the company that certain jalapeño peppers it provided were linked to a federal outbreak investigation. The FDA published the notice Friday, Aug. 14.
The recall covers products distributed in Texas and Louisiana between July 3 and Aug. 5. H-E-B has pulled all affected items from shelves and said in an Aug. 14 statement that products currently in stores are safe.
What's recalled
Six H-E-B-branded NatureBest products carry specific UPC codes shoppers should check, according to KHOU reporting:
- H-E-B Pico De Gallo Mild, 14 oz. — UPC 004122034597, best-by July 14 through Aug. 14
- H-E-B Pico De Gallo Medium, 14 oz. — UPC 004122034618, best-by July 15 through Aug. 15
- H-E-B Pico De Gallo Hot, 14 oz. — UPC 004122034615, best-by July 15 through Aug. 15
- H-E-B Pico De Gallo Mango, 14 oz. — UPC 004122034616, best-by July 15 through Aug. 15
- H-E-B Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Mushrooms, 8 oz. — UPC 019787014702, best-by July 12 through Aug. 12
- H-E-B Diced Jalapeño, 3 oz. — UPC 004122076495, best-by July 13 through Aug. 11
Beyond those, H-E-B removed a much longer list of store-made products that used the affected jalapeños. That list includes multiple guacamole varieties, Mi Tienda and H-E-B ceviche and shrimp cocktail, Meal Simple prepared items, deli cheese balls, jalapeño pimento cheese spreads, Hill Country Fare tortas and soup caldo kits.
The bigger picture
The recall is precautionary.
No illnesses have been publicly tied to NatureBest products specifically, but the underlying Salmonella Javiana outbreak linked to jalapeños from Sinaloa, Mexico, has sickened 345 people in 27 states and hospitalized 36, according to Food Safety News. No deaths have been reported.
The NatureBest recall is part of a broader wave. Taylor Fresh Foods, Whole Foods Market and Albertsons-banner stores have also pulled products tied to the same Coast Citrus supply chain, totaling more than 162 individual grocery items nationwide, Food Poison Journal reported.
What to do
The key identifier is the UPC code on the back of the package, not the brand name on the front. Food safety attorney Bill Marler, writing in Food Poison Journal on Aug. 14, noted that six of the 18 recalled NatureBest products carry H-E-B labels, and a shopper who picked up H-E-B Pico De Gallo "has no reason to know that a company called NatureBest made it, and no reason to go looking for a NatureBest recall."
Shoppers who purchased any recalled product should not eat it and should either throw it away or return it to the store for a refund.
Salmonella symptoms include diarrhea, fever, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, typically appearing 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food. Children under 5, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems face the highest risk.
Consumers can reach NatureBest at (713) 278-0425, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. CT, or email [email protected]. H-E-B's toll-free customer line is 855-432-4438, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.–6 p.m. CT. The full product list with lot codes is posted at newsroom.heb.com and on the FDA's recall page.
