Taylor Farms widens lettuce recall over cyclospora risk
The company said iceberg lettuce from central Mexico may be tied to a multistate outbreak, with recalled products shipped to 27 states.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
2 min read
Taylor Farms has broadened a voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce products sourced from central Mexico because they may be connected to a multistate cyclospora outbreak. The recall matters for consumers and food-service buyers because the company said potentially affected products went to 27 states.
In a Friday statement, Taylor Farms said it was pulling the implicated products and had stopped buying lettuce from a lot in central Mexico linked to the concern. The company identified Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New Jersey among the states that received the products.
U.S. health officials said earlier in the week that lettuce from a Mexican supplier was a source of cyclospora contamination in food served at Taco Bell restaurants in five Midwestern states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had warned consumers to avoid shredded lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.
Taylor Farms’ recall notice covered 25 shredded lettuce and salad mix products sold under eight brand codes. The products had been shipped as recently as Thursday and carried “best by” dates running as late as Aug. 3, according to the company’s announcement.
The company did not provide full public names for the brands or retailers in the recall announcement. Taylor Farms also did not respond to an emailed request seeking those names, according to Fortune.
Sysco, the country’s largest food distributor, has stopped distributing all Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce products sourced from Mexico. Sysco also told customers to destroy the products, according to the report.
Taco Bell said Friday that it had voluntarily removed the affected ingredient from its restaurants and taken it out of its supply chain nationwide. The company’s statement followed the CDC warning tied to shredded lettuce served in the five Midwestern states.
What cyclospora is
The CDC describes cyclospora as a microscopic parasite that can contaminate food after contact with human feces. The contamination is most often associated with produce washed or irrigated with tainted water, according to the agency.
People who ingest the parasite can develop an intestinal illness. The CDC says symptoms can include frequent diarrhea, including bowel movements the agency describes as sometimes explosive.
The CDC says cyclospora has sickened at least 1,645 people in the United States in 2026 and led to 141 hospitalizations. The agency is also examining more than 5,000 additional illnesses that may be connected to the parasite.
By the same point last year, 249 cases had been reported, according to the CDC. Federal health officials continue to investigate the outbreak and its food links.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.