Cyclospora Outbreak: Taylor Farms Removes Some Iceberg Lettuce From U.S. Market

Forbes Published Jul 17, 2026 Reviewed Jul 17, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 6,745 possible cyclosporiasis cases in the U.S., including 1,645 confirmed domestic cases and over 5,100 cases pending further testing for domestic acquisition.

6745 · possible cyclosporiasis cases in the U.S.1645 · confirmed domestic cyclosporiasis casesmore than 5100 · cases pending confirmation as domestically acquired cyclosporiasis

Taylor Farms voluntarily removed all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market following FDA traceback indicating a specific independent farm—representing less than 1% of U.S. iceberg lettuce supply—as the potential outbreak source.

less than 0.01 · U.S. iceberg lettuce supply

Taylor Farms said it would remove iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico out of the U.S. market, the company announced Friday, as federal investigators marked the produce company as the possible source of a cyclosporiasis outbreak that has possibly sickened nearly 7,000 people.

Taylor Farms de Mexico is voluntarily pulling the iceberg lettuce, citing information from the Food and Drug Administration as the agency’s investigation has indicated a “specific independent farm” may be responsible for the outbreak.

Taylor Farms noted that none of its popular salad kits contain iceberg lettuce.

Taylor Farms supplies produce to major fast food and grocery chains such as Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, Walmart and Trader Joe’s.

Taco Bell said earlier this week it was removing ingredients like lettuce, cilantro, onion, pico de gallo and guacamole from its menus in the Detroit area.

6,745. That is how many possible cyclosporiasis cases there are in the U.S., according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has confirmed 1,645 domestic cases and has found over 5,100 cases that need further testing to be confirmed as domestically acquired cyclosporasis.

Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by cyclospora, a parasite. The illness is contracted through contaminated food or drink and is characterized by watery diarrhea, loss of appetite and weight loss. Symptoms typically show one week after infection but can appear as early as two days later or as late as two weeks after.

“Based on information provided yesterday by the FDA, Taylor Farms de Mexico is voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market. While the FDA traceback is indicating a specific independent farm, which represents less than 1% of the U.S.’s iceberg lettuce supply, as the potential source of the outbreak, we have removed all iceberg lettuce from the region indefinitely. No other Taylor Fresh Foods products across the country are impacted. No Taylor Farms branded salad kits contain iceberg lettuce. As a family owned and operated company, we are deeply concerned for those who became ill, their families, and the many Americans whose trust in the safety of their fresh produce has been shaken. That trust is something we’ve worked for decades to earn, and we are committed to doing everything in our power to restore that confidence. We will provide continuous updates as new information emerges."

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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