A1AI-generatedAugust 10, 2026·2 min read·291 words·2 vocab words·Source: Fox Business

Bad Germs in Green Peppers

Read at another level
Bad Germs in Green Peppers
Photo: "Unidentified airwomen preparing food in the test kitchen... / Deux aviatrices préparent un repas dans la cuisine expérimentale..." by BiblioArchives / LibraryArchives is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. (CC BY 2.0)
In brief

There is a Salmonella outbreak from green peppers. Three hundred forty-five people are sick. Thirty-six people are in hospitals. The peppers are in some ready-to-eat meals. Stores in twenty-four states sell these meals. Do not eat these meals. Read the dates on the food boxes.

Listen — hands-free audio modeSwipe through today's stories at your level. Lock your screen and keep listening.Survival phrases — real-world situationsBrowse graded phrases for travel, work, emergencies and more. Audio in 5 languages.
Vocabulary · Words with a dotted underline are vocabulary words — tap for an instant definition.

There is bad food in the stores. The food has a bad This bad is Salmonella. This is in green peppers. These green peppers are jalapeño peppers. The green peppers are from Mexico. Sinaloa is a place in Mexico. Many people eat the green peppers. Now, many people are very sick.

There are three hundred forty-five sick people. Thirty-six sick people are in hospitals. The sick people are in twenty-seven states. The FDA is a safety group. The FSIS is another safety group. These groups watch the bad food. Many restaurants use these green peppers. The sick people eat at restaurants. But other foods are also dangerous.

A company brings the green peppers. The company name is Coast Citrus. The company sends peppers to stores. Some companies use these green peppers. The companies make fast meals. There are eighteen bad food products. These meals have meat and chicken. Some products are wraps and salads. Other products are bowls with food.

Large stores sell these bad meals. Walmart and Kroger sell the meals. Wawa and Hannaford sell the meals. You can buy meals at Albertsons. You can buy meals at Dillons. These meals are in twenty-four states. Some brands are Taylor Farms and Marketside. Another brand is Deli Kitchen. There are no sick people from meals. But the food is still bad.

Do not eat these bad meals. Read the food box dates. The dates are in August 2026. Some dates are August seven and eight. Other dates are August thirteen and fourteen. One meal is a chicken wrap. Another meal has potatoes and corn. Another meal is chicken enchiladas. Put the bad food in the trash. Keep your family from germs. Wash your hands with warm water.

Speak about it

Take a position. Out loud, if you can.

Four ways to start. Pick one and try saying it before you scroll on.

Tip · Record yourself, use in a notebook, or practice with a language partner.

Comprehension
Question 1 of 3

Where are the green peppers from?

Grammar spotlight

Imperatives for Instructions

One point · A1

We use imperative verbs to give instructions, orders, or rules. We do not use a subject pronoun like 'you' before the verb.

From this article

Put the bad food in the trash.

What to know · A1

Use it today

Try saying this aloud

Neutral register

Scenario: Talking to a family member about bad food in the kitchen.

  1. 01Do not eat these bad meals.
  2. 02Read the food box dates.
  3. 03Put the bad food in the trash.

Register tip · informal

🔑Key Phrases

There is bad food in the stores.The stores have food that is not good to eat.

This teaches the 'There is' structure with a basic adjective and noun.

There is + singular noun phrase

There is fresh water in the bottle.

Do not eat these bad meals.Avoid eating these prepared dishes.

This teaches a negative instruction using 'Do not'.

Negative imperative

Do not drink the hot milk.

Wash your hands with warm water.Clean your hands using warm water.

This teaches a simple command for daily hygiene.

Imperative verb + object + prepositional phrase

Clean your room with this cloth.

Accent

Article Audio — Kokoro TTS

Bad Germs in Green Peppers

💬Discussion Questions

Open-ended questions to talk or write about — alone, with a partner, or in class.

  1. 1

    Do you like to eat spicy green peppers?

    Personal

News sourced from: Fox Business. LectoPress rewrites the facts as original graded-reader text for language learners.

Daily digest · Free

Get stories at your level, every day

A1 · EN · delivered to your inbox · unsubscribe any time

Customize language, level & topics → full preferences