In response to potential contamination concerns involving the parasite cyclospora, prominent produce supplier Taylor Farms has issued a recall for its iceberg lettuce distributed across 27 states in the U.S. This move comes as the country faces a surge in cyclospora-related diarrhea cases.
Acting swiftly, the company has begun an “active removal” process for the lettuce products, halting distribution from Central Mexico to U.S. markets. Additionally, Taylor Farms has ceased receiving any new shipments from the suspect batch.
A clear warning has been issued to consumers: if you have purchased the affected iceberg lettuce, dispose of it immediately to avoid health risks. The company emphasizes that consuming the recalled product is not safe.
Spanning from June 29 to July 16, the distribution of the potentially tainted shredded iceberg lettuce reached numerous states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, and Florida, among others. Taylor Farms’ presence extends across much of the Midwest and East Coast with this latest recall effort.
The recall announcement elucidates the issue without specifying which retailers or product names are directly involved. However, it does offer some guidance on identifying affected items, particularly by use-by dates and brand codes. Taylor Farms assures that none of their branded salads or kits are implicated in the outbreak and clarifies that these do not include iceberg lettuce.
“At this time, Taylor Fresh Foods has not publicly provided distribution information or a list of customers who received the product that was voluntarily removed from the market,” the US Food and Drug Administration said in an update Friday.
Federal health officials have linked a large cyclospora outbreak in the Midwest to shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms and served at some Taco Bell restaurants in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia and Kentucky. Taco Bell said Friday that it has removed the lettuce from its restaurants and its nationwide supply chain.
The FDA said more states may be added to the list as more information comes available.
Restaurant food distributor Sysco said it had already taken action on Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce from Mexico.
“Sysco proactively removed all Taylor Farms processed iceberg lettuce products from Mexico from distribution and instructed customers to destroy them after learning regulators indicated a suspected link between Taylor Farms’ lettuce and a five-state Cyclospora outbreak,” a spokesperson said in a statement Saturday.
People with cyclosporiasis may have symptoms that include watery diarrhea, cramping and bloating for weeks, which can lead to dehydration. Cases of the intestinal illness caused by a microscopic parasite are surging across the US, with nearly 7,000 confirmed or under investigation in 34 states since May 1, according to data published this week by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Federal health officials said there are multiple investigations underway – some tied to the large outbreak in the Midwest, some involving single states and some involving cases not yet tied to any cluster.
So far, the outbreak linked to the lettuce is considered to be a regional one, centered in the Midwest. The Michigan state health department has reported more than 5,000 cases of cyclosporiasis during the outbreak investigation. The state health department said that it “cannot say with certainty that every illness is linked to the same source of exposure” but that the concentrated, sharp increase in cases “strongly suggests that the vast majority of these illnesses are associated with the same outbreak.” This would make it the largest cyclospora outbreak in the US on record.
Taylor Farms produce has also been linked with previous illness outbreaks, including E. coli cases tied to slivered onions in 2024 and cyclospora cases linked with lettuce in 2013.
The-CNN-Wire