Federal health officials are urging consumers to throw away recalled broccoli sprouts linked to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 22 people in Utah and three other states.

No Draper-area stores have been specifically identified as carrying the product, but Utah is among the four states with confirmed cases. The FDA said the sprouts may have reached retailers beyond the initial distribution area.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed the outbreak is tied to broccoli sprouts produced by Evergreen Fresh Sprouts LLC of Moyie Springs, Idaho. The company announced the recall on Sept. 10, covering 215 cases of sprouts, each containing six four-ounce bags, according to the FDA.

Cases have been reported in Idaho, Montana, Utah and Washington. Two people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

The CDC's outbreak page listed the investigation as open as of Sept. 11. Reported illnesses began between July 7 and Aug. 26. The exact number of Utah cases has not been disclosed.

What to look for

The recalled sprouts come in clear plastic four-ounce zip-lock bags or plastic clamshell containers. The UPC code is 8 38796 00105 1. Use-by dates on recalled packages are Sept. 7, Sept. 9, Sept. 11, Sept. 14 and Sept. 16.

Several of those dates have already passed. Consumers who may have already eaten the sprouts should monitor for symptoms.

Fox Business reported the sprouts were delivered to three distributors in Washington from Aug. 24 through Sept. 2 and may have reached stores in Idaho, Montana and Washington. Anyone who purchased the affected sprouts should discard them immediately or return them to the store, and clean any surfaces the sprouts touched.

Symptoms and when to seek care

Salmonella symptoms usually begin six hours to six days after exposure and include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. Most healthy people recover within four to seven days.

Children under 5, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems face higher risk of severe illness. The CDC advises seeking medical attention for a fever above 102°F, bloody diarrhea, diarrhea lasting more than three days, or vomiting that prevents keeping liquids down.

Evergreen Fresh Sprouts linked to past outbreaks

This is not the first time the company has been connected to a foodborne illness event. Newsweek reported Evergreen Fresh Sprouts was associated with a salmonella investigation in 2011 and an E. coli O121 outbreak linked to its raw clover sprouts in 2014.

Food safety attorney Bill Marler told USA Today that sprouts are especially prone to contamination because they grow in warm, wet conditions ideal for bacterial growth.

Evergreen Fresh Sprouts stopped producing broccoli sprouts on Sept. 4 and said it is conducting a root cause investigation. The recall was initiated after a third-party lab found salmonella in sprouts with a Sept. 16 use-by date.

Montana state officials separately confirmed the same salmonella strain in a collected sprout sample. The CDC noted this outbreak is not related to a separate, concurrent salmonella and E. coli outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts from a different producer, Everything Fresh Sprouts LLC.

The FDA's outbreak investigation page advises consumers not to eat, serve or sell the recalled product. The CDC said the true number of sick people is likely higher than 22, because many recover without seeing a doctor.