Across Washington and Montana, thirteen people have fallen ill with Salmonella Bovismorbificans, their suffering traced to broccoli sprouts grown by an Idaho company with a long and troubled history of contamination. Evergreen Sprouts LLC has now been linked to three separate outbreaks over fifteen years, a pattern that raises quiet but urgent questions about accountability, regulatory response, and the fragile trust consumers place in the food that reaches their tables. As laboratory testing continues and no recall has yet been issued, the invisible nature of bacterial contamination — undetec
Salmonella outbreak tied to Evergreen Sprouts in Washington, Montana
13 confirmed patients infected with Salmonella Bovismorbificans; vulnerable populations including children, elderly, and immunocompromised individuals face risk of severe illness requiring hospitalization.
Contaminated food shows no visible signs of spoilage
Mark
Why does Evergreen Sprouts keep showing up in these outbreaks? Is there something structurally wrong with how they grow sprouts?
Mimi
That's the question investigators are working through right now. We know the company has been linked to three separate outbreaks over fifteen years—that's a pattern that's hard to ignore. But the testing is still underway, so we don't yet know what's causing this particular contamination.
Luke
Right, and we should be careful here. We know Evergreen's products tested positive in past outbreaks, but we don't actually know from this reporting whether the company has fixed anything, changed procedures, or whether these are recurring failures in the same systems. The history is documented, but the cause isn't yet.
Mark
What about the people who are sick right now? How serious is this?
Mimi
Thirteen confirmed cases so far, with illness dates stretching from early July through mid-August. Most healthy adults recover in a week or so, but some cases get severe enough to need hospitalization. The real concern is anyone vulnerable—kids, elderly people, pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems.
Luke
And that's important context: we're talking about a bacterial infection that can look like nothing at first but hit vulnerable populations very hard. The source material doesn't tell us how many of these thirteen patients are in high-risk groups, so we don't know the severity profile of this particular outbreak.
Mark
There's no recall yet. Doesn't that seem like a gap?
Mimi
It does. The connection between the product and the illness is already established enough that investigators are confident in the link, but a recall hasn't been issued as of early September. That means contaminated sprouts could still be on shelves.
Luke
Though we should note: the testing is ongoing. It's possible the recall decision is waiting for lab confirmation or for investigators to narrow down exactly which batches are affected. We don't know the timeline or the reasoning behind the delay from this reporting.
Mark
Is this company going to face consequences?
Mimi
That depends on what the investigation finds and what regulators decide to do. The 2011 outbreak led to a recall only after the FDA went public with a warning. This time, we're already at the point where the connection is made, but the regulatory response is still unfolding.
Luke
The history matters, but it's also worth noting that past incidents don't automatically determine future enforcement. What matters now is what this investigation reveals and how regulators respond to it.
O Pulso
- Thirteen people in Washington and Montana have been sickened by Salmonella Bovismorbificans, with illnesses spanning from early July through mid-August and linked to broccoli sprouts sold at grocery stores, food co-ops, and restaurants.
- Evergreen Sprouts LLC has now been implicated in three outbreaks over fifteen years — including a 2011 Salmonella incident and a 2014 E. coli outbreak — collectively sickening sixty people, and once refused to recall its product until the FDA issued a rare public warning.
- Vulnerable populations including infants, elderly individuals, pregnant women, and the immunocompromised face the gravest risk, as Salmonella can escalate from fever and cramps to hospitalization with no visible warning signs on the food itself.
- Sprout samples from Evergreen and competing suppliers are being tested at the Washington State Public Health Laboratory, but as of early September no recall has been issued, leaving potentially contaminated product still accessible to consumers.
- A separate multistate sprout-related outbreak tied to a Minnesota producer underscores that this is not an isolated failure but a systemic vulnerability running through the broader sprout supply chain.
Across Washington and Montana, thirteen people have fallen ill with Salmonella Bovismorbificans, their suffering traced to broccoli sprouts grown by an Idaho company with a long and troubled history of contamination. Evergreen Sprouts LLC has now been linked to three separate outbreaks over fifteen years, a pattern that raises quiet but urgent questions about accountability, regulatory response, and the fragile trust consumers place in the food that reaches their tables. As laboratory testing continues and no recall has yet been issued, the invisible nature of bacterial contamination — undetectable by sight, smell, or taste — reminds us how much of our safety depends not on our own vigilance, but on the integrity of systems and producers we rarely see.
Thirteen people across Washington and Montana have been infected with Salmonella Bovismorbificans, their illnesses traced to broccoli sprouts from Evergreen Sprouts LLC, an Idaho-based grower. Symptom onset dates ranged from July 7 through August 18, and of twelve patients interviewed, eight reported eating the company's sprouts — purchased from grocery stores, food co-ops, and restaurants. Three additional cases in Montana and Idaho carry the same bacterial strain and remain under investigation.
What makes the situation particularly troubling is Evergreen Sprouts' history. The company was linked to a 2011 Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak that sickened twenty-five people across five states, and a 2014 E. coli O121 outbreak affecting nineteen people in six states. Across these three incidents spanning fifteen years, sixty people have been made ill by the company's products. During the 2011 outbreak, Evergreen initially refused to issue a recall, forcing the FDA to take the unusual step of issuing a direct public warning before the company finally complied.
As of early September, no recall has been issued in the current outbreak, even as samples from Evergreen and other suppliers undergo testing at the Washington State Public Health Laboratory. The absence of a recall is especially concerning given that Salmonella-contaminated food shows no visible, odor-based, or taste-based signs of spoilage — consumers have no way to detect the danger themselves. Infants, older adults, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals face the highest risk of severe illness and hospitalization.
The outbreak does not stand alone. A separate multistate Salmonella and E. coli outbreak recently linked to alfalfa sprouts from a Minnesota producer points to a recurring vulnerability across the sprout industry as a whole. Investigators continue their work, and the full scope of exposure remains to be determined.
Thirteen people across Washington and Montana have fallen ill with Salmonella Bovismorbificans, and investigators have traced the outbreak to broccoli sprouts produced by Evergreen Sprouts LLC, an Idaho-based grower. The illnesses began appearing in early July and continued through mid-August, with symptom onset dates spanning from July 7 through August 18. Of the twelve patients interviewed about their food consumption, eight reported eating sprouts from the company, and seven specifically consumed broccoli sprouts purchased from grocery stores, food co-ops, and restaurants. Three additional cases—two in Montana and one in Idaho—carry the same bacterial strain, though they remain under investigation.
Samples from Evergreen Fresh Sprouts and competing suppliers are currently being tested at the Washington State Public Health Laboratory. As of early September, no recall had been issued, leaving the contaminated product potentially still available to consumers. The absence of a recall order stands in contrast to the visible illness pattern, which public health officials have already connected to a specific producer and product type.
Evergreen Sprouts carries a troubling history. The company was responsible for a 2011 Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak that sickened twenty-five people across five states. Three years later, in 2014, the company's sprouts were linked to an E. coli O121 outbreak affecting nineteen people in six states. Across three separate outbreaks spanning fifteen years, the company's products have made sixty people sick. The 2011 incident proved particularly contentious: the company initially refused to recall its product, prompting the FDA to take the unusual step of issuing a direct public warning before Evergreen finally complied.
Salmonella infections typically develop between twelve and seventy-two hours after consuming contaminated food. Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever. Most otherwise healthy adults recover within four to seven days, though some cases produce diarrhea severe enough to require hospitalization. Infants, children, older adults, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems face substantially higher risk of serious complications and potentially life-threatening illness. Contaminated food bearing Salmonella bacteria shows no visible, olfactory, or taste-based signs of spoilage, meaning consumers cannot detect the pathogen through ordinary inspection. Some infected people never develop symptoms but remain capable of transmitting the bacteria to others.
The current outbreak appears distinct from a separate multistate Salmonella and E. coli outbreak recently traced to alfalfa sprouts produced by Everything Sprouts LLC in Minnesota, though both incidents underscore the recurring vulnerability of the sprout supply chain to bacterial contamination. Public health laboratories continue testing, and the investigation remains active as officials work to determine the full scope of exposure and establish whether additional cases will emerge.
Citações Notáveis
Eight of twelve interviewed patients reported eating sprouts from Evergreen Fresh Sprouts, with seven specifically consuming broccoli sprouts— Investigation findings as of September 2, 2026
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