Federal Health Officials Continue Investigating Taylor Farms Lettuce as the Likely Source of a Multistate Cyclospora Outbreak Despite a False-Positive Test Result
Federal health officials say Taylor Farms lettuce remains the leading suspected source of a multistate cyclospora outbreak, despite acknowledging that a laboratory test publicized over the weekend produced a false-positive result.
The Food and Drug Administration said Monday that a rapid screening test incorrectly detected the diarrhea-causing parasite in a lettuce sample connected to Taylor Farms. The agency posted the initial finding Saturday before announcing Sunday that a quality-control review had determined the result was inaccurate.
Despite the testing error, officials said the broader outbreak investigation continues to point toward shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms facilities in central Mexico.
“FDA’s traceback investigation and the outbreak data continue to converge on shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms’ locations in central Mexico,” Donald Prater, the FDA’s acting food chief, told reporters Monday.
Recalled Lettuce Was Distributed Nationwide
Federal and state health authorities began investigating an increase in cyclospora infections after illnesses in five states were linked to lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants.
Taylor Farms announced Saturday that it was recalling 25 shredded lettuce and salad products distributed under eight brand codes. The recalled products were supplied to several restaurant chains, food-service providers and retailers across 27 states.
The lettuce sample that initially appeared to test positive came from Taylor Farms but was not included among the recalled products, according to the FDA.
Officials said they released the preliminary test result because they believed the public needed to be alerted quickly. A later quality-control check determined the result was wrong, and Taylor Farms was notified Sunday.
Taylor Farms said on social media that the FDA had apologized to the company. Federal officials disputed that characterization and said no formal apology was issued.
The FDA is continuing to trace the lettuce supply chain while testing produce entering the United States from Mexico.
Cyclospora Has Sickened More Than 1,600 People
Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that can contaminate food exposed to human feces, often through produce that is washed or irrigated with contaminated water.
The parasite causes an intestinal illness known as cyclosporiasis. Symptoms may include prolonged diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite and weight loss.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes the illness as sometimes causing “frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements.”
At least 1,645 people in the United States have been sickened by cyclospora in 2026, and 141 have been hospitalized, according to federal health officials. The FDA and CDC are investigating five separate clusters of illness, including the outbreak associated with Taylor Farms lettuce.
FDA acting Commissioner Kyle Diamantas said officials were still receiving reports of new illnesses as recently as last week.
“Which means it’s imperative for us to take action to ensure that contaminated product is not making its way to the market,” Diamantas said.
Taco Bell Traffic Drops After Outbreak Announcement
The investigation has also affected customer traffic at several restaurant chains that use shredded lettuce and salad products.
Taco Bell experienced an 18.9% decline in foot traffic after federal officials identified the chain as part of the outbreak investigation, according to Placer.ai, a company that analyzes cellphone location data.
Foot traffic fell 14.3% at Chopt, nearly 7% at Chipotle and Panera Bread and 4.2% at Cava compared with average traffic recorded earlier in the year.
Foodborne-illness investigations rarely produce a simple biological link between a particular product and every reported illness. Cyclospora is especially difficult to investigate because some standard food-safety tests are not designed to detect it, and scientists cannot grow the parasite in a laboratory.
Investigators instead rely on interviews about what patients ate, the timing and location of reported illnesses and records tracing products through the supply chain.
The FDA said those findings continue to point to Taylor Farms’ shredded iceberg lettuce despite the agency’s faulty laboratory result.
