Social media users were aghast to learn that a Whole Foods store appears to be selling Taylor Farms shredded iceberg lettuce at a 50% discount as federal investigators are probing the nasty, diarrhea-causing cyclospora outbreak linked to the company’s Mexican-grown lettuce.
The sale was spotted over the weekend at a Manhattan Whole Foods, where the discounted bags were displayed with “Enjoy Today” labels.
It was unclear whether the discount has been offered throughout the supermarket chain.
The discounted product, a photo of which was posted to Bluesky by journalist Jon Christian, did not appear to be part of a recent recall of tainted products.
“[W]ow at this incredible deal,” he sarcastically captioned the pic on Sunday.
A Whole Foods representative told the news site Futurism the lettuce sold at the New York City store was sourced from the US rather than Mexico and said the grocery chain does not carry any of the recalled products.
The markdown sparked a wave of ridicule and scorn on social media, where users questioned why any Taylor Farms shredded iceberg lettuce was still on store shelves amid the federal investigation.
“The cost is on the back end,” one person quipped, while another dubbed the sale “half the price, all the diarrhea.” Others joked the lettuce had been “rebranded as organic laxatives” or was simply a “weight loss salad.”
Not everyone was laughing.
“They’re seriously not pulling that off the shelf … for SHAME,” one commenter wrote, while another asked, “Shouldn’t this have been pulled from the shelves?”
Others questioned why the product was still being sold at all.
The sale comes as consumers struggle to determine which lettuce is safe to eat after federal investigators linked a multistate cyclospora outbreak to shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico.
Taylor Farms has voluntarily recalled iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico, emphasizing that none of its branded salad kits or packaged salads are associated with the outbreak.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed 1,645 domestically acquired cases of cyclosporiasis across 34 states between May 1 and July 15, with 141 hospitalizations and no deaths reported.
Federal officials are also reviewing more than 5,100 additional reports to determine whether they qualify as domestically acquired infections, suggesting the number of confirmed cases is likely to increase.
The outbreak has largely centered on Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, according to authorities.
Federal investigators determined that shredded iceberg lettuce was the common ingredient among many sick customers. The FDA honed in on shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico specifically.
In Michigan, about 90% of Taco Bell customers interviewed after becoming ill reported eating iceberg lettuce, according to the FDA.
Taylor Farms has stressed that the evidence linking its product to the outbreak is based on a “traceback” investigation, which traces food along supply chains, rather than a contaminated product sample.
The FDA recently said test results finding a sample of lettuce Taylor Farms de Mexico contained cyclosporiasis were a “false positive.”
The FDA previously determined that a lettuce sample initially believed to contain the parasite was a false alarm, but said investigators still believe the outbreak is linked to Taylor Farms’ Mexican-grown shredded iceberg lettuce.
The Post has sought comment from Whole Foods and Taylor Farms.
