A sample of shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms of Mexico tested positive for Cyclosporafederal health officials said, as the company expanded a multistate recall linked to a growing outbreak in several states.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the contaminated sample was collected as part of targeted import surveillance and was not part of the Taylor Farms sample. current reminder. The agency said the positive batch had been withheld and the California-based production company was working to determine whether any of the implicated lettuces remained in commerce or in consumers’ homes.
The positive test result comes after Taylor Farms announced it was voluntarily recalling iceberg lettuce from central Mexico, while removing all such lettuces from the U.S. market, due to potential Cyclospora contamination.
“We are actively removing affected products,” Taylor Farms said in its recall notice. “The company has stopped receiving product from the implicated lot, suspended distribution of iceberg lettuce from Central Mexico, notified our customers and we continue to work with the FDA, CDC and state authorities.”
TAYLOR FARMS PREPARES RECALL, DENIES BRANDED SALADS LINKED TO OUTBREAK
Packages of Taylor Farms salad greens are on display at a Safeway store in Kings Beach, California on July 16, 2026. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/Getty Images)
The recall covers 12-ounce and 24-ounce bags of Marketside iceberg lettuce, as well as 8-ounce and 16-ounce bags of Marketside shredded iceberg lettuce distributed between June 29 and July 16 with expiration dates ranging from July 18 to August 3, according to the FDA. The recall also affects many products distributed to food service customers.
Affected lettuce was distributed to 27 states. The recall follows the FDA’s announcement Thursday that Taco Bell would stop using lettuce from a supplier linked to the multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak that has sickened 1,644 people and hospitalized 94 in five states. No deaths have been reported.
Taco Bell said it has voluntarily removed potentially affected lettuce from suppliers in some states where illnesses have been reported.
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The FDA says Taco Bell will stop using lettuce from a supplier linked to a cyclosporiasis outbreak in several states. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Taylor Farms previously said its branded salads were not associated with the outbreak.
In a statement posted to Instagram Friday, the company reiterated that none of its branded salad kits were involved and said it voluntarily removed iceberg lettuce sourced from its Taylor Farms operations in Mexico after receiving information from the FDA.
The FDA announced its investigation into Taylor Farms of Mexico as a supplier of shredded iceberg lettuce used in Taco Bell restaurants where infected customers said they ate before becoming ill. The agency said not all Taco Bell restaurants in the five states received lettuce from the supplier.
FDA TELLS TACO BELL TO STOP USING LETTUCE SUPPLIER LINKED TO MULTI-STATE PARASITIC OUTBREAK
Packages of Taylor Farms salad greens are on display at a Safeway store in Kings Beach, California on July 16, 2026. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The agency is investigating illnesses in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia and has advised consumers in those states not to eat Mexican shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell. restaurants.
According to the FDA, Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that can cause severe diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps, fatigue and other gastrointestinal symptoms.
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The agency urged anyone who purchased the recalled lettuce to throw it away immediately or return it to the place of purchase for a refund.
Brittany Miller of FOX Business contributed to this report.
