Washington shoppers who bought broccoli sprouts since late August should check their refrigerators and throw the product away.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday, Sept. 10, posted a recall notice for 215 cases of broccoli sprouts produced by Evergreen Fresh Sprouts LLC of Moyie Springs, Idaho.

The sprouts tested positive for salmonella in a third-party lab, and the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have linked them to a multistate outbreak that has sickened 22 people across four states.

Two people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Washington has the most cases of any state in the outbreak, The Olympian reported.

As of Sept. 2, the Washington State Department of Health had identified 13 salmonella illnesses in seven counties: King (four cases), Whatcom (three), Spokane (two), Skagit, Snohomish, Walla Walla and Yakima (one each).

That county breakdown comes from a Marler Clark law firm press release citing the state health department.

The recalled sprouts were packaged in clear plastic four-ounce Zip Lock bags with UPC 8 38796 00105 1.

They carry use-by dates of Sept. 7, Sept. 9, Sept. 11, Sept. 14 and Sept. 16.

Three of those dates have not yet passed as of Sept. 11, including the publication date of this article.

The company delivered the recalled product to three distributors in Washington between Aug. 24 and Sept. 2, according to the FDA.

The sprouts may have been sold at grocery stores, restaurants and foodservice operations in Idaho, Montana and Washington. No specific store names have been released.

What to do

The FDA advises anyone who bought the recalled sprouts to discard them immediately. Consumers with questions can call Evergreen Fresh Sprouts at 208-267-4258 from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Investigation details

Montana state officials collected a broccoli sprouts sample that tested positive for Salmonella Bovismorbificans, the specific strain causing the outbreak. Whole genome sequencing confirmed the match, according to the FDA's outbreak investigation page. Evergreen Fresh Sprouts stopped production on Sept. 4 and initiated the recall the same day, though the FDA did not post the notice until Sept. 10.

The company said in its recall notice that it had been notified its broccoli sprouts were connected to the multistate outbreak and that it is conducting a root cause investigation.

Of 19 people interviewed by investigators, all 19 reported eating sprouts and 17 specifically reported eating broccoli sprouts, according to the FDA. Illness onset dates range from July 7 to Aug. 26. Patients range in age from two to 87, with a median age of 48.

Third outbreak tied to this company

This is not the first time Evergreen Fresh Sprouts has been linked to a foodborne illness outbreak. A 2011 Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak sickened 25 people in five states, and a 2014 E. coli O121 outbreak sickened 19 in six states, according to a Marler Clark press release. Across all three outbreaks, at least 66 people have been sickened.

The FDA's investigation remains open as of Sept. 9, and the agency has said the case count may rise as new illnesses are confirmed.