Whole Foods Market controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
2026
Whole Foods Market recalls jalapeno-containing products over salmonella risk
Recall announced
Whole Foods Market recalled products containing jalapenos from its produce and prepared food departments, including dips, salsas and guacamole sold in Wisconsin, due to potential salmonella contamination. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced the recall on Friday.
Whole Foods Market is recalling products containing jalapenos from its produce and prepared food departments, including dips, salsas and guacamole sold in Wisconsin, due to potential salmonella contamination, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced Friday.
Company response
Recall — Whole Foods Market
Source excerpt
The products include dips, salsas and guacamole sold in Wisconsin.
2026
Jalapeño recall expands to downstream products
Recall announced
Following a recall by Coast Citrus Distributors of fresh jalapeños from Sinaloa, Mexico, downstream recalls are being conducted for recalled jalapeños and products containing them. Whole Foods Market recalled salsa, guacamole, pico de gallo and prepared products containing jalapeños sold online and in stores across multiple states, and Taylor Fresh Foods recalled multiple products containing recalled jalapeños distributed to retail distribution centers in numerous states. Stores that received recalled products include Hannaford, Kroger, Stop and Shop, Target, Trader Joe's, Walmart, and Whole Foods. Taylor Fresh Foods is no longer sourcing products from this farmer and will fill orders from alternative suppliers. FSIS also issued a public health alert for meat and poultry products containing FDA-regulated jalapeños that may be contaminated with Salmonella.
Company response
Recall — Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market recall (8/12)
Recall — Taylor Fresh Foods
Taylor Fresh Foods recall (8/9)
Remediation — Taylor Fresh Foods
Source excerpt
As a result of the recall by Coast Citrus Distributors, downstream recalls are being conducted for recalled jalapeños and products containing recalled jalapeños.
Whole Foods Market recall (8/12)
Taylor Fresh Foods recall (8/9)
2026
Whole Foods Market recalls prepared foods containing jalapeños amid salmonella outbreak
Recall announced
Whole Foods Market recalled more than 40 prepared food items containing fresh jalapeños, including dips, salsas and guacamole, amid a salmonella outbreak linked to jalapeños imported from Mexico by Coast Citrus Distributors. The recalled products were sold online and in stores in 12 states. Customers were advised to discard the products and seek refunds with receipts.
Whole Foods recalled more than 40 prepared food items containing fresh jalapeños, including dips, salsas and guacamole, amid a salmonella outbreak linked to jalapeños imported from Mexico by Coast Citrus Distributors. The recalled products were sold online and in stores in 12 states, and customers were advised to discard them and seek refunds with receipts.
Company response
Recall — Whole Foods
Whole Foods recalled more than 40 products containing fresh jalapeños, including dips, salsas and guacamole sold in its produce and prepared foods departments, the Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday.
Refund or compensation — Whole Foods
Customers who purchased any of the products listed are advised not to consume them. The items should be thrown away, and receipts can be taken to any Whole Foods store for a refund.
Source excerpt
Whole Foods recalled more than 40 products containing fresh jalapeños, including dips, salsas and guacamole sold in its produce and prepared foods departments, the Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday.
There have been at least 345 reported salmonella infections across 27 states linked to jalapeños imported from Mexico by Coast Citrus Distributors.
Customers who purchased any of the products listed are advised not to consume them. The items should be thrown away, and receipts can be taken to any Whole Foods store for a refund.
2026
Taylor Fresh Foods recalls 20 prepared foods containing jalapeños over Salmonella risk
Recall announced
Taylor Fresh Foods recalled 20 prepared food products containing jalapeños because of possible Salmonella contamination, including 16 products distributed to Texas retailers such as Kroger, Target, Trader Joe's, Walmart and Whole Foods. The recall followed a supplier recall by Coast Citrus Distributors of fresh jalapeños linked to a multistate Salmonella Javiana outbreak, and Taylor Fresh Foods said it stopped sourcing peppers from the implicated grower in Sinaloa, Mexico.
Company response
Recall — Taylor Fresh Foods
Taylor Fresh Foods has recalled 20 prepared food products containing jalapeños because of possible Salmonella contamination.
Remediation — Taylor Fresh Foods
âTaylor Fresh Foods is no longer sourcing products from this farmer and will be filling orders from alternative suppliers.â
Source excerpt
Taylor Fresh Foods has recalled 20 prepared food products containing jalapeños because of possible Salmonella contamination.
Sixteen of the listed products were distributed to Texas retailers, including Kroger, Target, Trader Joeâs, Walmart and Whole Foods.
The recall began after Coast Citrus Distributors recalled fresh jalapeños over possible Salmonella contamination.
2026
Taylor Farms recalls jalapeno products over salmonella concerns
Recall announced
Taylor Fresh Foods, parent company of Taylor Farms, voluntarily recalled some products containing jalapenos due to worries about possible salmonella contamination. The recalled prepared foods, including guacamole, pico de gallo and taco dip, were distributed in multiple states with a 'Best If Used By' date up to and including Aug. 16, 2026, and sold at stores including Kroger, Stop & Shop, Target, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Walmart. The recall followed Coast Citrus Distributors' voluntary recall of fresh jalapenos, and the FDA and CDC were investigating a multistate salmonella outbreak linked to fresh jalapenos supplied by Coast Citrus Distributors.
Company response
Recall — Taylor Fresh Foods
Remediation — Taylor Fresh Foods
Taylor Fresh Foods said that it is no longer sourcing products from the farmer and will be filling orders from alternative suppliers.
Source excerpt
The affected stores included Target, with locations in Niles and Boardman. Walmart is part of the national recall, but its Ohio stores are not included.
Guacamole, pico de gallo and taco dip are some of the prepared foods included in the recall. The list of recalled products were distributed by Taylor Farms in multiple states with a "Best If Used By" date up to and including Aug. 16, 2026. The products were sold at stores including Kroger, Stop & Shop, Target, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Walmart.
2026
Whole Foods Market: Taylor Farms jalapeño product recall
Recall announced
Taylor Fresh Foods, parent of Taylor Farms, recalled more than a dozen prepared food products containing jalapeño peppers after supplier Coast Citrus Distributors voluntarily recalled fresh jalapeños over potential salmonella contamination. The recalled items, including salsas, dips, guacamole and sandwiches, were distributed to retail distribution centers across 26 states and sold at retailers including Walmart, Target, Trader Joe's, Kroger, Whole Foods, Hannaford and Stop and Shop. Taylor Farms said it stopped sourcing from the implicated grower and is using alternative suppliers.
Company response
Recall — Taylor Fresh Foods
Taylor Fresh Foods, the parent company of Taylor Farms, recalled more than a dozen prepared food products containing jalapeño peppers on Sunday after its supplier issued a voluntary recall over potential salmonella contamination
Remediation — Taylor Fresh Foods
Taylor Farms said it has stopped sourcing from the implicated grower and is filling orders through alternative suppliers.
Source excerpt
Taylor Fresh Foods, the parent company of Taylor Farms, recalled more than a dozen prepared food products containing jalapeño peppers on Sunday after its supplier issued a voluntary recall over potential salmonella contamination
The recalled items — including salsas, dips, guacamole and sandwiches — were distributed to retail distribution centers across 26 states and sold at major retailers including Walmart, Target, Trader Joe's, Kroger, Whole Foods, Hannaford and Stop and Shop.
The recall traces back to Coast Citrus Distributors, which voluntarily recalled fresh jalapeños after identifying a grower in Sinaloa, Mexico, as the likely source of contamination.
2019
Whole Foods Market voluntarily recalls vegetable products after Listeria concern
Recall announced
Mann Packing issued a recall because its vegetable products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. In response, Whole Foods Market voluntarily recalled multiple products from its stores in the United States. According to the supplied report, no illnesses had been reported at the time. The recall was a voluntary action by the grocer following the supplier's recall notice.
Company response
Recall — Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market is voluntarily recalling multiple products from its stores in the United States.
Source excerpt
Mann Packing issued the recall because the vegetables may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
In response to Mann Packing Co., Inc's recall of vegetable products, Whole Foods Market is voluntarily recalling multiple products from its stores in the United States.
2019
Whole Foods Market recalls products over possible Listeria contamination
Recall announced
Whole Foods Market voluntarily recalled multiple products from its US stores following a recall by Mann Packing Co., Inc. of vegetable products that may have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The affected products were sold from October 10 through November 4, 2019. At the time of the announcement, no illnesses had been reported.
Company response
Refund or compensation — Whole Foods Market
Customers who purchased this product at Whole Foods Market can bring a valid receipt into stores for a full refund.
Source excerpt
Company Announcement Date: November 06, 2019
Mann Packing issued the recall because the vegetables may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
In response to Mann Packing Co., Inc’s recall of vegetable products, Whole Foods Market is voluntarily recalling multiple products from its stores in the United States.
2019
Whole Foods Fresno store exposed customer financial information
Issue disclosure
A video showed a clerk at Whole Foods’ Fig Garden outlet entering a customer's address, phone number, credit card number and security codes on a screen visible to other customers. Whole Foods said the video showed a violation of its customer information privacy and said it was taking measures to address the issue.
Company response
Remediation — Whole Foods
We are taking appropriate measures to address the issue.
Source excerpt
J. Colin Petersen, president of a Fresno-based information technology firm JIT Outsource, recorded a Whole Foods clerk entering a customer's information — including address, phone number, credit card number and security codes — in plain sight in the middle of a busy pre-Thanksgiving Day store.
Local Whole Foods managers declined to comment, referring the Times-Delta/Advance-Register to corporate offices, which released a statement saying the video showed a violation of the company's customer information privacy.
Petersen was picking up some last-minute Thanksgiving items on Wednesday, Nov. 27 when he noticed a clerk working on the store's "holiday table" entering customer's financial information from over the phone.
2007
Wild Oats antitrust litigation and anonymous message-board posts
The FTC challenged Whole Foods' proposed Wild Oats acquisition, arguing that the companies were close competitors in a premium natural and organic supermarket market. John Mackey's anonymous online comments about the dispute also prompted regulatory attention; the SEC cleared him of the reported charges in 2008.