Iceberg Lettuce Recall Adds a Fourth Outbreak to Taylor Farms’ Record

Taylor Fresh Foods has pulled every bag of shredded iceberg lettuce grown on farms in central Mexico from the American market after a sample tested positive for the parasite Cyclospora. The recall now stretches across 27 states, including Georgia, and traces back to lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in five other states.

It is not the first time the company’s name has landed in an outbreak file. Taylor Farms, the parent company behind the recalled lettuce, has been tied to at least three other multistate outbreaks since 2013, one of them fatal.

27 States, One Farm in Guanajuato

Taylor Farms de Mexico, based in Guanajuato, Mexico, is the growing and processing operation behind the recalled lettuce. Its U.S. distribution arm, Taylor Fresh Foods, filed the recall with regulators. The company says it has stopped receiving product from the implicated lot and suspended all distribution of iceberg lettuce sourced from that region of Mexico.

The recalled shredded iceberg moved through the supply chain from June 29 through July 16, reaching stores and restaurants in 27 states from Wisconsin to Texas, including Georgia, according to the FDA’s posted recall notice. Consumer packages include Walmart’s Marketside-brand iceberg salad and shredded lettuce bags, both with use-by dates that run into early August. Taylor Fresh Foods keeps a running list of affected lot codes and use-by dates on its own site for anyone unsure whether their bag is included.

Taylor Fresh Foods said the farm the FDA traced represents less than 1% of the country’s iceberg lettuce supply. The company pulled all central Mexico product anyway, as a precaution, because it says “no other Taylor Fresh Foods products across the country are impacted.”

A Positive Test, Then a Reversal

The outbreak surfaced first through Taco Bell. Michigan health officials analyzed food histories from 190 people who ate at the chain before getting sick and found that 90% of them recalled eating iceberg lettuce. That convergence pointed federal investigators to a single Mexican supplier feeding Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.

On July 16, the FDA and CDC advised people to avoid shredded iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell in those five states. Taylor Farms de Mexico announced its recall the next day. Then, on July 18, the FDA reported that a sample of Taylor Farms lettuce, collected during import surveillance, had tested positive for Cyclospora. A day later, the agency reversed course, saying the result “should be considered a false positive.”

• What we know: Cyclospora sickened at least 1,644 people who reported eating at Taco Bell across five states, and Taylor Farms de Mexico is pulling all central Mexico iceberg lettuce as a precaution.
• What we know: The recalled product reached 27 states between June 29 and July 16, with use-by dates running to August 3.

• What’s unconfirmed: Whether the specific farm the FDA traced was truly the contamination source. The July 18 positive sample was walked back a day later.
• What’s unconfirmed: Whether more states or products get added, since the joint CDC and FDA investigation remains open.

Michigan Carries the Heaviest Toll

Georgia is one of the 27 states that received the recalled product, but it is not among the five states, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, where confirmed illnesses have so far been traced to Taco Bell locations. Federal officials say that list could grow.

State health department tallies run well above the federal outbreak count because they include probable cases alongside lab-confirmed ones. Michigan’s own count climbed from 4,312 cases on July 16 to 5,002 a day later, including 102 hospitalizations. The state typically logs just 40 to 50 confirmed Cyclospora cases by this point in a given year.

Separately, national Cyclospora surveillance, not limited to the Taco Bell cluster, shows 1,645 confirmed cases and 141 hospitalizations across 34 states as of July 13, with more than 5,100 additional suspected illnesses still under review. Add those together and the tally approaches 7,000, making this the country’s worst year on record for the parasite.

How Taco Bell, Walmart and Sysco Responded

The recalled lettuce did not stay inside one supply chain. It reached fast-food counters, grocery shelves and food-service warehouses before anyone knew to look for it.

• Taco Bell – pulled the lettuce from every restaurant and its nationwide supply chain the day the recall broke.
• Jack in the Box – found recalled lettuce at stores in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana and swapped in a different domestic supplier, and says no illnesses have been tied to its restaurants.
• Sysco – pulled all Taylor Farms Mexico-processed iceberg lettuce from its distribution network and told customers to destroy remaining stock.
• Walmart – saw no sign its own shelves were contaminated but pulled four Marketside-brand bagged iceberg lettuce and salad items from select stores anyway.
• US Foods – said a limited number of its Cross Valley Farms-brand products were affected and began notifying customers the day the recall broke.

Taylor Farms Has Been Here Before

Taylor Farms describes itself as a top fruit and vegetable producer and restaurant supplier, and its footprint is exactly why one contaminated farm can ripple so widely. This is also not the company’s first outbreak.

A 2013 cyclosporiasis outbreak was linked to a Taylor Farms salad mix. In 2015, the company recalled a celery and onion mix used in Costco chicken salads after 19 people were sickened with E. coli. In 2024, slivered onions from its Colorado Springs, Colorado facility, served on McDonald’s Quarter Pounders, triggered the deadliest of the group.

In the 2024 case, 104 people across 14 states were infected, four developed a kidney complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome, and an older adult in Colorado died. The CDC declared that outbreak over in December 2024, but the aftermath followed the company into the next year.

Inspectors Flagged Sanitation Gaps After 2024

An FDA inspection report later found that Taylor Farms had violated food safety regulations at the Colorado plant tied to that outbreak, detailed in an inspection report flagging missed sanitation checks. Inspectors found the facility had not consistently completed timely follow-up testing after positive Listeria results in 2023 and again in January 2024, and that pre-operation cleanliness checks and other monitoring records were missing. The outbreak also drew a class-action lawsuit against Taylor Fresh Foods in federal court in California.

Food safety attorney Bill Marler represented plaintiffs in earlier Taylor Farms litigation. Describing what happens once an outbreak like that takes hold, he told a Colorado TV station:

I’ve seen a lot of this and I think during an outbreak people need to be aware.

Bill Marler, an attorney who has represented food poisoning victims for decades, made the remark in October 2024 as the onion outbreak was still growing.

Where Does the Outbreak Go From Here?

Expect the Cyclospora numbers to keep climbing before they level off. The parasite’s incubation period runs up to two weeks, reporting lags are common, and federal officials have said they expect the confirmed count to rise as thousands of suspected cases work through lab testing.

The FDA has increased screening of Taylor Farms shipments at the border and is still working to confirm whether the July 18 positive sample points to a real, separate contamination event or was in fact a lab error, as Sunday’s update suggested. The lettuce outbreak is also not the only one on the agency’s plate this month. The FDA’s active outbreak tracker currently lists a Salmonella Oranienburg cluster up to 69 cases and a separate E. coli outbreak tied to frozen blueberries, both still unfolding alongside the lettuce investigation.

Given the 2024 precedent, product liability lawyers are likely to start filing claims once the case count firms up. The FDA says its investigation into the lettuce remains open.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do if I have Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce at home?

Check the package for a Best If Used By date between July 18 and August 3, 2026. If it matches, throw the lettuce away or return it to the store for a refund, then wash any containers or surfaces it touched with hot, soapy water. Taylor Farms’ customer care line, 855-455-0098, takes calls Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time.

How is Cyclospora different from E. coli?

Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite, not a bacterium like E. coli. It typically causes watery diarrhea, bloating, cramping, nausea and fatigue that can drag on for weeks if untreated, rather than the bloody diarrhea and kidney complications sometimes tied to E. coli O157:H7.

Does the recall affect Taylor Farms’ salad kits or other products?

No. The company has said no Taylor Farms branded salad kits contain iceberg lettuce, and no other Taylor Fresh Foods products across the country are part of this recall, which is limited to iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico.

Which package sizes are included in the recall?

The consumer-facing recall covers Marketside-brand 12-ounce and 24-ounce Iceberg Salad and 8-ounce and 16-ounce Shredded Lettuce sold at Walmart, all with Best If Used By dates between July 18 and August 3, 2026, plus a separate list of food-service items sold under other brands.

Has anyone died in this outbreak?

No deaths have been reported in the Taco Bell-linked cluster or in the broader national Cyclospora count so far this year. That is a contrast with Taylor Farms’ 2024 onion recall, when an E. coli outbreak tied to its Colorado facility killed one person.

Disclaimer: This article is for general information only, not medical advice. Recall details, case counts and affected states may change as federal investigators continue their work, so check the FDA and CDC pages directly and consult a doctor about any symptoms.