Evergreen's broccoli sprouts sickened 32 with Salmonella — the seed lot hit three recalls

An outbreak of Salmonella Bovismorbificans was linked to broccoli sprouts from Evergreen Fresh Sprouts: the CDC counted 32 sick people in six states — Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, Utah and Washington — 24 of them in Washington, three hospitalized and no deaths, with ages from 2 to 87. Washington officials announced 13 cases on September 2, and on September 4 Evergreen stopped production and recalled its four-ounce bags after a Montana sample tested positive. Of 27 people interviewed, 26 ate sprouts or microgreens and 22 named broccoli sprouts.

On October 7, FDA confirmed the source: a seed sample collected from the — still unnamed — supplier tested positive and matched the outbreak strain by whole-genome sequencing, pinning the outbreak on seed lot W4105. That single lot produced three public recalls: Evergreen's sprouts on September 4; EAK Distribution's HOME GROWN broccoli seed sold on Amazon, recalled October 2; and Eden Brothers' Calabrese broccoli seed, sold nationwide from July 8 to September 28, recalled October 7.

FDA has not named the supplier in any advisory or recall notice, even though EAK's notice shows the supplier flagged the lot on September 16. Food Safety News noted the agency knows the supplier in this outbreak and in a parallel alfalfa-sprout outbreak — 76 sick in 16 states — and is releasing neither name.

Food-safety lawyer Bill Marler, whose firm represents a Washington resident sickened in the outbreak, counts three outbreaks from the company since 2011, and calculates the sprout recall came too late to protect most victims: the recalled bags were delivered August 24 to September 2, but 25 of the 32 illness onsets fell on or before August 23. He also warns the risk outlasts the recall — home-sprouting seed from the lot was sold into September, and sprouting's warm, wet conditions multiply the bacteria while rinsing does not remove them.

Recall and production halt on September 4; 32 sickened across six states, three hospitalized; the FDA/CDC outbreak is still listed as ongoing.

Sprouts were grown from seed the company never made safe: FDA's sample of lot W4105 matched the outbreak strain by whole-genome sequencing.

Sprouting amplifies contamination — warm, wet days multiply trace Salmonella on a seed coat into millions of cells that rinsing cannot remove.

By the author's count this was the company's third sprout-linked outbreak since 2011, indicating seed sourcing did not change after earlier events.

The recall landed weeks after the illnesses began, so it could have protected at most the last seven victims.

A supplier's seed is your contamination: a sprout grower inherits whatever sits on the seed coat, and no rinse removes Salmonella from cracks inside the seed.

As of October 7, 2026, FDA and CDC still list the outbreak as ongoing, with the last reported illness starting September 3 and no illnesses reported from either seed recall. The seed supplier remains unnamed. Marler has drafted a citizen petition asking FDA to require a raw-sprout warning on sprout packaging and sprouting seed, with comments open through October 15 before filing.