FDA Finds Cyclospora in Taylor Farms Lettuce Outside Its Recall

A shredded iceberg lettuce sample from a Taylor Farms subsidiary in Mexico has tested positive for cyclospora, and the product was never covered by the company’s recall, the Food and Drug Administration said Saturday. Regulators collected the sample as part of the ongoing probe into an outbreak that has already sickened more than 1,600 people at Taco Bell locations in five states.

The tainted lettuce has been detained. Nobody yet knows whether any of it reached a store shelf or a kitchen. That gap between what has been recalled and what has actually tested positive is now the most unsettled part of a food safety crisis that federal health data shows is the worst cyclospora season on record.

A Test Result From Outside the Recall Zone

Taylor Farms had already been publicly tied to the cyclospora cases sweeping several states. But the FDA was careful to note something different about Saturday’s finding: this particular positive sample came from a product not included in the recalls already on the books, gathered as investigators kept digging.

Officials described the situation bluntly.

Taylor Farms has confirmed that this positive product is not part of their current recall. They are currently working to identify whether any part of this implicated lot is available in commerce or in consumers homes.

The company, working with regulators, still does not have a full answer on where that lot traveled.

The FDA’s broader traceback work has already identified a single supplier of the lettuce tied to the Taco Bell cluster in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. This new sample suggests the agency’s own detection has now outpaced the recall built around that finding.

What Taylor Farms Actually Pulled From Shelves

Taylor Farms de Mexico had previously announced it was voluntarily removing iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market entirely. That includes Marketside branded packages sold at Walmart, identified by specific sizes and shelf-life windows.

Anyone holding a bag matching those dates is being told to check it against the official listing rather than assume it is fine because it looks normal. Cyclospora contamination is invisible to the eye and does not change how produce looks, smells or tastes.

The company’s own recall information page stresses that no Taylor Farms branded salad kits are included, since none of them use iceberg lettuce as an ingredient. That distinction matters for shoppers trying to sort branded bagged salads from the private-label store products actually named in the recall.

How Big the Outbreak Has Grown

The scale here has outrun almost every seasonal comparison the CDC has on file.

• 1,645 confirmed cases have been logged nationally across 34 states since May 1, with more than 5,100 additional reports still under review, according to the CDC’s Health Alert Network notice.
• 141 hospitalizations have been confirmed nationally, or about 9%, with no deaths reported.
• 4,312 cases have been reported in Michigan alone as of July 16, according to the state health department’s outbreak tracker, with 102 hospitalizations there.
• The national case count is running nearly sevenfold higher than the 249 cases reported over the same stretch in 2025.

Within that national tally sits a narrower, overlapping figure: 1,644 people who specifically reported eating at Taco Bell across the five affected states, with 94 hospitalizations among them and illness onset dates running from May 13 through July 13. The FDA has described that group as a subset of the wider nationwide count, not a separate crisis.

Michigan’s own count has moved fast. It had already crossed 3,300 reported cases earlier this month before climbing past 4,300, and national health writers have started calling this the largest cyclospora surge on record. Yum Brands, Taco Bell’s parent, saw its stock slide amid the scare, and shares of other fresh-produce sellers dipped too as the story spread.

Is One Supplier Enough to Explain This?

Probably not entirely, and federal health officials say so themselves. The five-state Taco Bell cluster explains a slice of the national case count, but thousands of other illnesses across 34 states remain unattached to any single confirmed source, and investigators are actively looking elsewhere.

The CDC has said plainly that it is also investigating other outbreaks and illnesses of cyclosporiasis nationally that are unrelated to this outbreak. Some health experts caution that there could be multiple sources feeding the broader surge, not one supplier alone.

NBC News has reported that it remains unclear whether Taylor Farms produce connects to cases in states outside the five already named, and that health officials consider it likely that multiple separate outbreaks are running at once. Cyclospora’s biology makes that kind of tangle hard to untangle. Symptoms can take up to two weeks to appear, and confirming a case can take weeks more, by which point patients often cannot recall exactly what they ate.

Taylor Farms Has Been Here Before

This is not the company’s first brush with cyclospora. Public health officials linked Taylor Farms product to a 2013 multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to salad mix, and the company was also connected to a 2024 E. coli outbreak tied to onions served at McDonald’s. That earlier history is part of a broader pattern of repeat contamination episodes tied to the company that has drawn scrutiny from food safety lawyers for years.

Bill Marler, a food safety attorney who has previously sued Taylor Farms, argues the current crisis is also a story about weakened surveillance. He points to 2025 changes that made cyclospora reporting optional under the CDC’s FoodNet program, thinning out the system meant to catch outbreaks early.

There aren’t enough boots on the ground to do this kind of work, to figure these outbreaks out fast enough.

Marler made that comment to FOX 11 Los Angeles, tying the slow pace of this investigation to staffing and funding cuts at federal health agencies rather than to the parasite itself.

What to Do With Lettuce Already at Home

Consumers holding shredded or bagged iceberg lettuce, especially anything Marketside-branded from Walmart, have a short list of things to check before eating it.

• Compare the package against the recalled sizes and best-if-used-by dates, not just the brand name.
• Do not rely on the way it looks or smells. Cyclospora causes no visible or textural change to produce.
• Rewashing bagged or pre-washed lettuce will not reliably remove the parasite once it is present.
• Cooking food to at least 158 degrees Fahrenheit will kill the parasite, though that is not practical for salad greens meant to be eaten raw.
• When in doubt, throw it out or return it to the store for a refund rather than testing it yourself.

Anyone with watery diarrhea, cramping, bloating or unexplained fatigue after eating fresh produce in the past several weeks should tell their doctor they may need specific cyclospora testing, since routine stool panels often miss it. Investigators are still working to pin down whether the detained lot ever left a warehouse, and until they do, the boundaries of this recall remain a moving target rather than a finished list.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I tell if my lettuce is part of the recall?

Check the brand, package size and best-if-used-by date against the official listing rather than the product’s appearance. The current recall covers Marketside Iceberg Salad in 12-ounce and 24-ounce sizes and Marketside Shredded Lettuce in 8-ounce and 16-ounce sizes, with best-if-used-by dates between July 18 and Aug. 3, 2026. If your package does not match those exact details, it falls outside the current recall, though the FDA has warned that could still change as its investigation continues.

Does washing lettuce remove cyclospora?

Not reliably. Health officials say rewashing bagged or pre-washed lettuce is unlikely to remove cyclospora once it is present, since the parasite can sit on the surface in a form that ordinary rinsing does not dislodge. Cooking produce to at least 158 degrees Fahrenheit kills the parasite, but that is not an option for lettuce meant to be eaten raw.

How long does cyclosporiasis last?

Without treatment, symptoms can last anywhere from a few days to a month or longer and can follow a pattern of improving and then returning. Most people develop watery diarrhea along with loss of appetite, bloating, cramping and fatigue, and antibiotics are the typical treatment once a case is confirmed.

Are Taylor Farms brand salad kits affected?

No. The company says none of its branded salad kits contain iceberg lettuce, and its recall page lists no active recalls on its direct-to-consumer branded products. The recalled items are private-label store brands, like Marketside at Walmart, made using iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico.

Did Taco Bell pull other ingredients besides lettuce?

Yes, at some locations. Early in the investigation, select Taco Bell restaurants in the hardest-hit region also temporarily pulled cilantro, onion, pico de gallo and guacamole as a precaution while investigators worked to isolate the exact ingredient. Taco Bell has since said the specific lettuce supply tied to the outbreak was fully removed and replaced nationwide.

Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Anyone with symptoms of cyclosporiasis should contact a healthcare provider, and the figures above reflect data available as of publication and may change as the investigation continues.