Topline
A sample of lettuce from Taylor Farms that had tested positive for cyclospora—and pinned the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak on the major produce supplier—was a false positive, the Food and Drug Administration confirmed, and federal investigators have taken several steps back in identifying what caused thousands to be sicked with an “explosive diarrhea parasite.”
Key Facts
The FDA on Sunday said it re-reviewed the sample of lettuce it initially took from Taylor Farms and that its lab produced had a false-positive result for cyclospora, meaning the lettuce cannot be definitively tied to the outbreak as the agency had previously claimed.
Investigators stopped short of completely clearing Taylor Farms and said it was still working with the brand “to ensure product implicated in this outbreak has been removed from the market,” but confirmed none of the produce it has tested this far has produced a positive sample result.
Investigators still believe shredded iceberg lettuce served primarily at Taco Bell (which Taylor Farms supplies) caused the outbreak because of common exposure among the sick, and the traceback investigation still points toward the same supply chain, but there’s no proof as of Monday.
Taylor Farms, which recalled iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico in 27 states over the weekend, did not walk back its recall and said it would continue working with federal health officials to identify the source of the outbreak.
KEY BACKGROUND
More than 7,000 people are confirmed or suspected to have been sickened with cyclosporiasis, an illness caused by the cyclospora parasite, in the last two months, with Michigan the apparent epicenter of the outbreak. At least 34 states have reported cases of the intestinal disease, which can cause “explosive” diarrhea, and more than 140 people have been hospitalized. There had been little progress in finding the source of the cyclosporiasis outbreak until last week, when investigators said they believed it was linked to produce supplied to Taco Bell in five states after thousands of the sick patients reported having eaten at the restaurant. That common thread remains the same, but the FDA has been unable to confirm the source with lab testing. The CDC says it expects cases to rise through the end of August and has issued a new alert to physicians to recommend testing for the parasite in patients with symptoms.
WHAT IS CYCLOSPORIASIS?
An intestinal illness caused by a parasite called Cyclospora cayetanensis. The parasite spreads when people eat food or drink water that was contaminated with feces, and almost never spreads via direct person-to-person transmission, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cyclosporiasis is typically not fatal or life-threatening.
WHY IS CYCLOSPORA HARD TO INVESTIGATE?
Cyclospora outbreaks are challenging to trace because the parasite is difficult to detect on produce, and finding it has been likened to “a needle in a haystack.” Contaminated food is often eaten weeks before patients become sick and the infected food has usually been cycled out of the supply chain by the time investigators begin testing. The contamination can occur in irrigation water or during growing rather than in processing, and investigators are often forced to rely heavily on epidemiology and traceback investigations instead of laboratory confirmation.
HOW TO SAY SAFE FROM CYCLOSPORIASIS
Infectious disease experts continue to recommend eating produce, especially items that can be peeled, but advise taking extra care with foods that are eaten raw or difficult to wash thoroughly. Washing produce likely won’t completely eliminate the parasite if it is present, but can help with spread. Cooking foods infected with cyclospora to 158 degrees Fahrenheit, or 70 degrees Celsius, will kill the parasite, and both frozen and canned fruits and vegetables are considered safe from the outbreak.
WHERE WAS THE TAYLOR FARMS LETTUCE DISTRIBUTED?
The suspicious shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms was distributed June 29 through July 16 in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. All other Taylor Farms products, including popular salad kits, have not been recalled.
TANGENT
Taylor Farms and its executives have made significant donations to President Donald Trump and his allies. Federal Election Commission filings show Taylor Fresh Foods Inc., the parent company of Taylor Farms, made a $1 million contribution to MAGA Inc., the super PAC supporting Trump’s political operation, in March 2025, less than a week after the FDA announced it would delay implementation of the “Food Traceability Rule.” The new policy is one of the FDA’s biggest food safety reforms of the last decade and is meant to make it easier (and faster) to trace contaminated food back through the supply chain during an outbreak. When implemented, it will require companies that handle certain high-risk foods—including leafy greens, fresh-cut vegetables, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, melons, herbs and sprouts—to keep standardized digital records showing where products came from and where they went. It’s now scheduled to go into effect in July 2028.
