--- title: "Idaho Sprout Grower Linked to Third Outbreak in Fifteen Years: Sixteen Sick with Salmonella in Washington, Montana and Idaho, and No Recall" date: 2026-09-03T21:08:00-07:00 author: Bill Marler canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/idaho-sprout-grower-linked-to-third-outbreak-in-fifteen-years-sixteen-sick-with-salmonella-in-washington-montana-and-idaho-and-no-recall" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / [Press Releases](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/press-releases) / # Idaho Sprout Grower Linked to Third Outbreak in Fifteen Years: Sixteen Sick with Salmonella in Washington, Montana and Idaho, and No Recall **FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE** *Evergreen Fresh Sprouts refused a recall in 2011 until FDA warned the public directly, issued none in 2014, and has issued none for the broccoli sprouts now under investigation* BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash., September 3, 2026 — The Washington State Department of Health on September 2 posted an [outbreak notice](https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/illness-and-disease-z/foodborne-illness/outbreaks/2026-salmonella-outbreak-linked-broccoli-sprouts-evergreen-fresh-sprouts-llc) linking thirteen *Salmonella* Bovismorbificans illnesses in seven Washington counties to broccoli sprouts produced by Evergreen Fresh Sprouts, LLC of Moyie Springs, Idaho. With two additional patients in Montana and one in Idaho, sixteen people are sick. Illnesses began between July 7 and August 18. Two Washington patients have been hospitalized, no one has died, and no recall has been issued. It is the third outbreak tied to the company since 2011, according to an [analysis published today](https://www.marlerblog.com/case-news/evergreen-fresh-sprouts-has-been-linked-to-three-outbreaks-since-2011-sixteen-people-in-washington-montana-and-idaho-are-sick-with-salmonella-from-its-broccoli-sprouts-and-there-is-no-rec/) by food safety attorney Bill Marler of Marler Clark, Inc., PS. Evergreen Fresh Sprouts was the grower behind a 2011 *Salmonella* Enteritidis outbreak that sickened 25 people in five states and a 2014 *E. coli* O121 outbreak that sickened 19 people in six. Across the three outbreaks, sixty people have been made ill. The company has recalled product once. “Sixty people sick over fifteen years, and one recall, issued in 2011 only after the company first refused and FDA took the unusual step of warning the public directly not to eat the sprouts,” Marler said. “In 2014 there was no recall at all, and the company kept producing and shipping clover sprouts from the seed lot tied to the outbreak for more than a month after the outbreak was announced. Now it is 2026, sixteen people are sick, and again there is no recall.” **The 2011 and 2014 outbreaks** Between April and July 2011, 25 people in Montana, Washington, Idaho, New Jersey and North Dakota were infected with the outbreak strain of *Salmonella* Enteritidis, which [CDC linked](https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/salmonella/2011/alfalfa-spicy-sprouts-7-6-2011.html) to alfalfa and spicy sprouts sold under the Evergreen Produce label. On June 27, 2011, FDA warned consumers directly not to eat the sprouts, a step the agency generally takes only when a company will not recall. The company’s co-owner told [The Produce News](https://theproducenews.com/evergreen-produce-says-no-fdas-request-recall-sprouts) she had refused FDA’s request because a recall would be “admitting guilt.” The company recalled the sprouts on July 1. In an October 19, 2011 [warning letter](https://www.foodsafetynews.com/fda-cites-idaho-sprouts-grower-for-food-safety-lapses), FDA documented pipes dripping onto uncovered sprouts and employees handling sprouts without clean gloves or aprons, and concluded the sprouts were adulterated under federal law. In 2014, [CDC counted](https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/ecoli/2014/o121-05-14/index.html) 19 people in Washington, Idaho, Montana, California, Michigan and Utah infected with Shiga toxin-producing *E. coli* O121 traced to Evergreen’s raw clover sprouts, most of them eaten in sandwiches at Jimmy John’s, Pita Pit and Daanen’s Deli locations in Washington and Idaho. Seven of the sixteen patients with available information were hospitalized. FDA’s inspection report, the [Form 483](https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/oii-foia-electronic-reading-room/evergreen-fresh-sprouts), documented condensate and irrigation water dripping from rusty valves, a corroded watering system, scratched and frayed tennis rackets used to scoop sprouts, and a corroded pitchfork used to move them. No recall was issued. CDC reported on June 27, 2014, that the company had continued to produce and distribute clover sprouts from the seed lot linked to the outbreak; the company agreed to stop using the lot on June 26, more than a month after the outbreak was announced on May 22. Marler Clark filed four lawsuits on behalf of people sickened in that outbreak. *Outbreaks linked to Evergreen Fresh Sprouts, LLC, 2011 to 2026. Sources: CDC final updates for 2011 and 2014; Washington DOH and Montana DPHHS for 2026. The 2026 figures will change.* **Year** **Pathogen** **Product** **Sick / states** **Recall** **FDA action** 2011 *Salmonella*Enteritidis Alfalfa and spicy sprouts 25 in 5 July 1, after refusing Consumer warning June 27; warning letter Oct. 19 2014 *E. coli* O121 Raw clover sprouts 19 in 6 None; seed lot dropped July 1 Form 483, June 6 2026 *Salmonella* Bovismorbificans Broccoli sprouts 16 in 3 None as of Sept. 3 None posted **Why the absence of a recall matters** Washington interviewed twelve of its thirteen patients; eight reported eating sprouts from Evergreen Fresh Sprouts. The cases are in King (4), Whatcom (3), Spokane (2), Skagit, Snohomish, Walla Walla and Yakima counties. The sprouts were sold in clamshells and plastic bags at grocery stores and food co-ops and served in restaurants. Samples from Evergreen and from other suppliers are being tested at the Washington State Public Health Laboratory. Montana’s Department of Public Health and Human Services said September 3 that its two patients bought the sprouts at Montana grocery stores, that local sanitarians are contacting the stores known to have sold them, and that it expects its case count to rise once additional laboratory testing is complete. Idaho, where the company is based, had not posted a notice of its own as of Thursday evening. Health officials in Whatcom County told the [Cascadia Daily News](https://www.cascadiadaily.com/2026/sep/03/salmonella-outbreak-tied-to-broccoli-sprouts-sickens-3-whatcom-county-residents/) they do not have a confirmed list of every place the sprouts were sold or served. “In 2011 and again in 2014, epidemiology and traceback identified this grower while the product samples came back negative for the outbreak strain. That is the normal shape of a sprout outbreak: the contaminated lot is eaten before anyone tests it,” Marler said. “Washington’s samples are pending now. Nobody should wait for them.” “A recall produces lot codes, a distribution list, notification down the chain to every distributor, restaurant and grocer, and an entry in FDA’s enforcement reports,” Marler said. “Without one, Washington has no confirmed list of where these sprouts went, Montana’s sanitarians are calling stores one at a time, and the only identifier a consumer has is the company name on the bag. FDA has had the authority to order a recall since January 2011, six months before the first Evergreen outbreak. I asked fifteen years ago whether it would use that authority on this company. Same commodity, same company, same question.” **What consumers should do** - Do not eat broccoli sprouts from Evergreen Fresh Sprouts. Throw them away or return them to the store, and wash anything they touched with hot, soapy water or in a dishwasher. - See a doctor for diarrhea with a fever above 102°F, diarrhea lasting more than three days, bloody diarrhea, vomiting that prevents keeping liquids down, or signs of dehydration. - Anyone who became ill should report it. Washington residents can use the state’s [online Foodborne Illness Notification form](https://redcap.doh.wa.gov/surveys/?s=L7THW4XYPDE9NYNC); Whatcom County Health and Community Services is at 360-778-6000. Montana and Idaho residents should call their local health department. - Keep the package or receipt, or a photo of either, and ask the laboratory or health department to preserve the isolate. Whole genome sequencing is what links an illness to this outbreak, and isolates are routinely discarded. “Sixteen is the number today,” Marler said. “Montana has already said it will not be the number next week.” The full analysis, with sources, is available on [Marler Blog](https://www.marlerblog.com/case-news/evergreen-fresh-sprouts-has-been-linked-to-three-outbreaks-since-2011-sixteen-people-in-washington-montana-and-idaho-are-sick-with-salmonella-from-its-broccoli-sprouts-and-there-is-no-rec/). **About Marler Clark** [Marler Clark, Inc., PS](https://www.marlerclark.com/), The Food Safety Law Firm, is based on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Founder and managing partner Bill Marler has represented victims of foodborne illness since 1993, when he represented Brianne Kiner, the most seriously injured survivor of the Jack in the Box *E. coli* O157:H7 outbreak. The firm represented people sickened in the 2014 Evergreen Fresh Sprouts *E. coli* O121 outbreak. Marler publishes Marler Blog, founded Food Safety News in 2009, teaches food safety at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and is the subject of the book and Emmy Award-winning Netflix documentary *Poisoned*. **Media contact** Bill Marler Marler Clark, Inc., PS 180 Olympic Drive S.E., Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 1-800-884-9840 bmarler@marlerclark.com \### ### Other Salmonella Lawsuits [Jalepeno Peppers Responsible for Salmonella Outbreak at Chipotle and QDOBA - 431 Sickened in 32 States](https://marlerclark.com/chipotle-linked-to-salmonella-outbreak-tied-to-peppers) [Egg Salmonella Outbreak Sickens 98 in 17 States](https://marlerclark.com/egg-salmonella-outbreak-sickens-98-in-17-states) [18 Sick with Salmonella from Moringa Capsules](https://marlerclark.com/18-sick-with-salmonella-from-moringa-capsules) [64 with Salmonella tied to Oysters](https://marlerclark.com/64-with-salmonella-tied-to-oysters) [Vega Farms Salmonella Outbreak Sickens 63](https://marlerclark.com/vega-farms-salmonella-outbreak-sickens-63) [Green Supplement causes Salmonella Outbreak](https://marlerclark.com/green-supplement-causes-salmonella-outbreak) [Salmonella Outbreak tied to Metabolic Meals](https://marlerclark.com/salmonella-outbreak-tied-to-metabolic-meals) [Kentucky Salmonella outbreak linked to Ramsey’s Diners and Missy’s Pies](https://marlerclark.com/kentucky-salmonella-outbreak-linked-to-ramseys-diners-and-missys-pies) [Salmonella Egg Outbreak sickens 63 in California](https://marlerclark.com/salmonella-egg-outbreak-sickens-63-in-california) [Cucumbers with Salmonella - 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