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2w ago

FDA Traceback Links Taco Bell Lettuce to Multistate Cyclospora Outbreak

Taylor Farms said it will remove iceberg lettuce from central Mexico as federal and state investigators continue testing and wider traceback to confirm the farm source.

In an aerial view, customers depart a Taco Bell restaurant on July 14, 2026 in Pasadena, California. Federal and state health officials have reportedly begun investigating whether lettuce served at some Taco Bell restaurants has led to the widespread outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal illness, which has sickened thousands around the country.
Packages of Taylor Farms salad greens are displayed at a Safeway store on July 16, 2026 in Kings Beach, California. Federal health officials are investigating whether shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by California-based Taylor Farms was the source of a nationwide Cyclospora outbreak that has sickened more than 1,600 people in 34 states, though no definitive link has been confirmed.
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Overview

  • Federal traceback work made public Friday tied a multistate cluster of cyclosporiasis to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.
  • Taylor Farms (Taylor Fresh Foods) disclosed Friday that it is voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico after the FDA identified a single supplier connection to that region.
  • Taco Bell and some franchisees have pulled potentially impacted shredded lettuce from select restaurants and the FDA is collecting product samples while investigators review additional distribution channels.
  • The outbreak has sickened thousands nationwide with official CDC counts lagging higher state totals; confirmed reports include hospitalizations but no deaths so far.
  • Cyclospora spreads when produce or water is contaminated with human feces, requires days to become infectious, needs specialized stool tests that delay confirmation, and public-health officials warn washing helps but only cooking reliably kills the parasite; lawsuits by customers have been filed and investigators are probing other unrelated clusters.