“CDC and FDA have reopened the investigation into a salmonella outbreak linked to moringa leaf powder because additional illnesses were identified,” a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) spokesperson confirmed.
The most recent recalled products include MOGO-brand moringa capsules and TNVitamins Ultra Potent Complete Green Superfood products, which FDA has warned may be contaminated with salmonella and should not be consumed or sold while the investigation remains ongoing. The agency is working to trace the source of contamination and with state partners to collect samples.
Prior to the March 17 closing of the previous investigation, FDA reported 97 illnesses, 26 hospitalizations and no deaths across 32 states linked to the outbreak. Updated figures tied to the reopened investigation now show 119 illnesses and 32 hospitalizations across 36 states.
Both Mogo Moringa LLC and Total Nutrition Inc. have initiated voluntary recalls of the potentially contaminated products.
Additional recalls point to ongoing supply-chain issues
For both regulators and industry groups, the outbreak raises broader questions about microbial controls on imported botanical ingredients, particularly for products that may bypass validated pathogen-reduction steps during processing.
Daniel Fabricant, PhD, president and CEO of the Natural Products Association (NPA), told NutraIngredients that the recalls appear to be tied to issues such as inadequate drying or the absence of validated kill steps during moringa production.
“That really seems to be what’s consistent in some of the language reflected in FDA documents,” he said.
The renewed investigation may also signal increased FDA scrutiny of imported botanical materials linked to the repeated contamination events.
“Generally, what happens is they’re going to go on what’s called the red list,” Dr. Fabricant said, referring to FDA import monitoring procedures. “Now that they’re seeing this problem recur, they’re certainly going to [scrutinize] anything that’s labeled moringa.”
He suggested that the repeated recalls should prompt companies to reassess pathogen controls and validated kill steps throughout botanical sourcing and manufacturing operations.
At the same time, Dr. Fabricant noted that existing dietary supplement good manufacturing practice (GMP) requirements appear to be preventing additional contaminated products from reaching consumers.
“Even if they missed the screen on the ingredient side, that clearly is getting caught on the finished product manufacturing side, which is a very good sign,” he said.
A call for kill steps
To prevent tainted batches of moringa and similar agricultural commodities from entering the market, the FDA’s Office of Dietary Supplement Programs (ODSP) has issued a call for information related to microbial monitoring and mitigation practices.
“We need to understand how this happened and what we can do to stop it from happening again,” Cara Welch, head of ODSP, told stakeholders at the recent East Coast meeting of the SoCal Dietary Supplement Consortium, just days before the reopening of the investigation.
She explained that this requires identifying botanicals that may pose similar risks in their supply chains or processing methods, while ensuring that appropriate test methods are available to detect contamination in complex botanical mixtures.
Commenting on the latest round of recalls, Graham Rigby, president and CEO of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) said that while concerning for all, they reflect just one part of a broader regulatory response.
“AHPA is working with like-minded industry partners to collect information for the agency regarding best practices to identify and monitor microbial levels in moringa, alongside common mitigation and sterilization strategies,” he said.
Jeff Ventura, vice president of communications at the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) noted that “these recalls underscore why rigorous adherence to GMPs is so important” and why “routine testing for potential pathogens should be a regular part of supplement manufacturing.”
For CRN, greater visibility into products containing higher-risk ingredients through a product registry could also strengthen future outbreak response efforts.
“When FDA learns of heightened concerns for a particular ingredient, having visibility into which products contain that ingredient can allow FDA to respond more quickly and effectively during a safety event,” Ventura said.
For now, FDA’s investigation remains active, while industry stakeholders continue to assess what the renewed outbreak probe could mean for botanical sourcing, pathogen controls and future enforcement activity.
NutraIngredients reached out to Mogo Moringa LLC, Total Nutrition Inc., and FDA but did not receive a response to a request for comment prior to publication.
