Recent Salmonella outbreaks linked to recalled moringa-containing dietary supplements have intensified industry scrutiny around pathogen controls and sourcing oversight for botanical ingredients used in finished products.
Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have now closed both investigations, the recalls highlighted how contamination originating earlier in complex supply chains can spread across multiple brands and sales channels before being detected.
The outbreaks also reinforced broader concerns around supplier qualification, raw material testing and traceability for imported botanical ingredients.
According to Asa Waldstein, founder and principal at Apex Compliance, pathogen-related recalls have continued to increase across food and supplement categories in 2026.
“We have already seen over 20 total FDA recalls so far this year, with nearly a dozen of those specifically involving pathogens like Salmonella and Listeria,” Waldstein told NutraIngredients.
Moringa outbreaks triggered recalls across multiple brands
The larger of the two outbreaks involved moringa leaf powder used in dietary supplement products sold under the Live it Up and Why Not Natural brands.
FDA and CDC investigators ultimately linked the outbreak to 97 illnesses across 31 states involving strains of Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Newport. Twenty-six people were hospitalized with no deaths reported.
According to FDA, epidemiological interviews identified a strong connection between illnesses and moringa-containing products after 35 of 40 interviewed patients reported consuming moringa before becoming ill.
Traceback work conducted by the agency later identified a common manufacturer supplying moringa powder used in both products, federal investigators reported.
Why Not Natural recalled lot A25G051 of its Pure Organic Moringa Green Superfood capsules with an expiration date of July 2028.
Superfoods Inc., which sells products under the Live it Up brand, also recalled its Super Greens dietary supplement powders with expiration dates between August 2026 and January 2028.
The Live it Up recall later expanded to include products distributed nationwide, including Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Some affected products were also shipped to consumers in the United Kingdom.
A separate FDA investigation announced in February involved Rosabella-brand moringa powder capsules distributed by Ambrosia Brands LLC.
That outbreak was ultimately linked to 10 illnesses across seven states, all tied to an extensively drug-resistant strain of Salmonella Newport. Three people were hospitalized with no reported deaths.
According to FDA, the strain demonstrated resistance to first-line and alternative antibiotics commonly used to treat Salmonella infections.
Ambrosia Brands initiated a voluntary recall of affected lots on Feb. 13, 2026. The products had been sold through Amazon, eBay, TikTok Shop, Shein, Etsy and the company’s own website with nationwide and international distribution.
FDA traceback efforts identified broader sourcing concerns
Although federal investigators did not publicly connect the two outbreaks, both incidents drew attention within the supplement industry because they involved moringa-derived ingredients moving through complex botanical supply chains.
Waldstein explained that Salmonella contamination in plant-based ingredients often originates earlier in the production chain.
“Raw ingredients are the most common source, but it can also be introduced during manufacturing through poor hygiene and sanitation practices,” Waldstein said.
Either scenario should generally be identified during quality control testing before products reach consumers, he added.
“These incidents show how failures in GMP and testing programs can create havoc across the industry,” he said.
The outbreaks also highlighted the challenges associated with globally sourced botanical ingredients, where raw materials may pass through multiple intermediaries before reaching finished-product manufacturers.
Pathogen risks can emerge at multiple stages
Rian Bosman, co-founder of the South African-sourced moringa brand Burst, said contamination risks can emerge throughout harvesting, processing and packaging operations.
“These incidents highlight a few structural vulnerabilities that exist in many botanical supply chains, not just moringa, [and] at the farm level, it can be introduced through animal droppings in fields or poor sanitation during harvesting and drying,” he explained.
Bosman noted that contamination risks may continue during manual sorting, processing and packaging if sanitation controls are inconsistently applied.
Testing standards can also vary significantly between suppliers and sourcing models, which he described as one of the larger risks facing manufacturers formulating products with botanical ingredients.
“Ideally, testing should take place during the harvest season, immediately after harvest, during manufacturing and again at the finished product stage through batch testing,” Bosman said.
Commodity sourcing can complicate traceability
According to Bosman, moringa supply chains increasingly operate through either large commodity sourcing networks or direct farm relationships, with differing levels of visibility and oversight between the two models.
In commodity supply chains, moringa powder may be blended from multiple farms before export into larger shipments.
While that structure can provide supply flexibility and lower costs, it may also complicate traceability efforts because manufacturers have less visibility into farming conditions, sanitation procedures and testing practices across each stage of production.
By contrast, direct sourcing models with a single-origin supply chain can offer greater operational oversight. “Brands working directly with a farm or a small group of farms typically have better oversight of agricultural practices, drying methods, sanitation procedures and testing programs,” Bosman said.
Supplier verification remains a critical control point
For manufacturers evaluating botanical suppliers, transparency around sourcing and testing remains one of the strongest safeguards against contamination risks, according to Bosman.
“Brands should understand exactly where the moringa is grown, verify farm-level sanitation practices, review agricultural handling procedures and confirm that suppliers follow Good Agricultural Practices,” he said.
He added that suppliers should also be prepared to provide documentation supporting pathogen, heavy metal and pesticide testing programs.
In response to a request for comment, Superfoods Inc. d/b/a Live it Up stated that the “health and safety of our customers is our top priority” and confirmed the company paused Super Greens production while reviewing its supply chain and manufacturing processes.
NutraIngredients contacted FDA, Why Not Natural, and Ambrosia Brands LLC for additional comment. No further responses had been received as of publication.
