Cyclospora outbreak reaches nine states, CDC says
CDC says the shredded iceberg lettuce-linked cyclospora outbreak now includes nine states and nearly 2,000 Taco Bell-related cases.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
The cyclospora outbreak in nine states tied to shredded iceberg lettuce has expanded, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday, raising fresh concern about a foodborne illness that can cause prolonged gastrointestinal symptoms. The CDC has linked Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania to an outbreak that already included Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and Michigan.
The CDC said the outbreak is the largest multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak in the U.S. this year connected to shredded iceberg lettuce. Federal officials have identified thousands of illnesses nationwide in 2026, above the roughly 200 to 1,000 cases typically reported each year.
The CDC has counted 1,947 people infected with cyclospora who also said they ate at Taco Bell in the nine affected states, according to a federal outbreak update. Illnesses connected to the lettuce outbreak began June 22 and continued through July 20, the CDC said.
Federal totals can trail state reports, and some affected states have listed higher infection numbers than the national count, according to CNBC.
What is cyclospora?
Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that usually spreads through contaminated food or water, according to the CDC. It causes cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness that can include severe diarrhea and, in some cases, hospitalization.
No deaths connected to the parasite have been recorded this year, CNBC reported.
What food is linked to the cyclospora outbreak?
U.S. health and food safety officials have focused on shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms. The Food and Drug Administration said last week that Taylor Farms provided the shredded iceberg lettuce to Taco Bell restaurants where people reported eating before they became sick.
Taylor Farms issued a voluntary recall for all iceberg lettuce sourced from its facility in Guanajuato, Mexico, and Taco Bell removed the affected lettuce from its restaurants, according to the FDA and CNBC.
Mexican health authorities said Thursday that lettuce and water samples from Taylor Farms’ central Mexico plant tested negative for cyclospora. CNBC reported that the negative findings do not rule out the FDA’s earlier identification of Taylor Farms de Mexico as the likely source, because the first symptoms began in mid-May and the infection’s incubation period means the implicated crop would have been distributed weeks earlier.
The FDA is also investigating a separate cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to an unidentified food product or products, CNBC reported.
How have Taylor Farms and regulators responded?
The FDA said Sunday that it had reported a false positive from lettuce samples connected to Taylor Farms, according to CNBC. Taylor Farms then posted a statement saying the agency had apologized, but the FDA later said it had not apologized to the company.
Taylor Farms deleted the statement from X, though CNBC reported it remained on the company’s website. The FDA said it still considered the company’s iceberg lettuce the likely source of the outbreak.
Some health experts criticized Taylor Farms’ recall notice because it used abbreviations and was difficult for consumers to use in determining whether they had bought or eaten a risky product, CNBC reported.
Taylor Farms supplies lettuce and other produce to retailers including Walmart, Target and Whole Foods, as well as restaurant chains including Taco Bell, according to CNBC.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.