Taylor Farms announced a voluntary recall of all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the US market after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) linked the product to a cyclosporiasis outbreak affecting more than 6,700 people in at least 34 states across the country [1, 2, 3, 4].
The outbreak has led to at least 94 hospitalizations, with symptoms including prolonged watery diarrhea, weight loss, vomiting, body aches, headache, and low-grade fever typically appearing one to two weeks after infection [1, 5, 6]. Investigation traced the contaminated lettuce to a single independent farm in central Mexico that accounts for less than 1% of the US iceberg lettuce supply [5, 2, 3].
Taylor Farms emphasized that their popular salad kits do not contain iceberg lettuce and are not impacted by the recall [2, 6, 3, 4]. The company said it is "deeply concerned for those who became ill, their families, and the many Americans whose trust in the safety of their fresh produce has been shaken" [3]. Taylor Farms separately stated it removed all iceberg lettuce from the region indefinitely despite the farm representing a small fraction of overall supply [2].
The FDA collected positive samples of the cyclospora parasite during targeted surveillance of imported iceberg lettuce tied to the outbreak [1, 7]. The US investigation is ongoing with cooperation from Mexico's Health Ministry, which said "identifying the product’s country of origin provides a traceability data point, but it does not in itself confirm that the contamination occurred within Mexican territory" [7].
Retailers and restaurants acted quickly. Taco Bell removed affected Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce from restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia by July 17, noting it had removed the ingredient nationwide out of caution [1, 5, 6, 3, 4]. Walmart voluntarily pulled four Marketside-branded Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce products sold in 15 states as a precaution [1, 7]. Meanwhile, some salad chains such as Chipotle, Sweetgreen, and Just Salad reassured customers they do not serve iceberg lettuce [8].
Consumers in affected areas have reportedly reduced purchases of berries and leafy greens amid the outbreak news [7, 8].
The first cyclosporiasis infections linked to iceberg lettuce were detected by the FDA on May 13. The recall and restaurant and retail removals took effect starting July 17 and 18 [1, 7, 2, 6]. Authorities continue to monitor the situation and advise consumers to discard any iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico.
The outbreak poses a challenge to fresh produce safety in the US as investigations and recalls continue.
