How does ‘Salmonella’ contaminate everything under the sun? A food safety specialist explains how you can stop its spread

Salmonella has turned up in eggs, jalapenos, moringa powder, and pet reptiles this year, with the CDC logging ten outbreaks in 2026 alone. The bacterium infects roughly 1.35 million Americans annually, hospitalizing about 26,500 and killing around 420, costing the country roughly $2.4 billion a year in medical bills and lost wages. Outbreak counts have stayed roughly steady over five years, the piece notes, even as it flags that federal cuts to public health agencies could change that trend going forward.

A food safety specialist walks through the basics: wash hands for 20 seconds, avoid swallowing lake water, mind cross-contamination. The bacteria can survive far outside their supposed comfort zone, in soil for years and in water for weeks, which is the actual reason they show up everywhere from granola to gecko tanks.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.