VERDICT: MIXED The viral claim is accurate on the outbreak statistics (300+ cases, 36 hospitalized) but overstates what Chipotle did — only Qdoba removed jalapeños from *all* restaurants; Chipotle removed the *affected* jalapeños from the restaurants where they had been distributed and switched to different growers. **Claim-linked findings:** 1. **"CDC is reporting more than 300 cases... at least 36 hospitalized" — CONFIRMED.** The [CDC's official outbreak page](https://www.cdc.gov/Salmonella/outbreaks/javiana-08-26/index.html) (updated Aug. 5, 2026) lists **Cases: 345, Hospitalizations: 36, Deaths: 0, States: 27** in a multistate Salmonella Javiana outbreak, with jalapeño peppers from Sinaloa, Mexico distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors confirmed as the source, and a recall issued. The [FDA's Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella: Jalapeño (August 2026)](https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-jalapeno-august-2026) independently corroborates: "a total of 345 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella have been reported from 27 states. There have been 36 hospitalizations and zero deaths reported." 2. **"Both Chipotle and Qdoba say they have removed jalapenos from all restaurants" — ONLY HALF TRUE.** Qdoba's own [statement on qdoba.com](https://www.qdoba.com/media/a-statement-from-qdoba-on-food-safety) (Aug. 5, 2026) says: "Out of an abundance of caution, we have proactively removed jalapenos from all our restaurants at this time." But Chipotle's own [statement in its newsroom](https://newsroom.chipotle.com/2026-08-04-A-Statement-from-Chipotle-on-Food-Safety) says it "identified jalapeños from a particular grower in Sinaloa, Mexico and distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors... proactively removed them from the restaurants where they had been distributed, and replaced them with product from different growers" — i.e., Chipotle did **not** remove jalapeños from all restaurants; it pulled the contaminated product and kept serving jalapeños from other growers. The [FDA investigation page](https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-jalapeno-august-2026) matches this: "Chipotle switched their jalapeño supplier for impacted stores beginning on 7/20/2026 and are no longer serving affected product; QDOBA also ceased the use of jalapeños in their stores on 7/28/2026 and all QDOBA restaurants are no longer serving jalapenos." **Primary sources used (government/agency + company, all opened directly):** - [CDC — Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Jalapeños (Aug. 2026)](https://www.cdc.gov/Salmonella/outbreaks/javiana-08-26/index.html) - [FDA — Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella: Jalapeño (Aug. 2026)](https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-jalapeno-august-2026) - [QDOBA — Company statement on food safety](https://www.qdoba.com/media/a-statement-from-qdoba-on-food-safety) - [Chipotle — A Statement from Chipotle on Food Safety](https://newsroom.chipotle.com/2026-08-04-A-Statement-from-Chipotle-on-Food-Safety) **Notes:** The "NBC News' Anne Thompson" line is broadcast framing from the video and could not be verified against primary sources (the underlying facts are confirmed above regardless). Both government agencies also state that, given the companies' product-removal actions, there is no current ongoing risk from these establishments in this outbreak.