CDC, FDA link Taco Bell lettuce supplier to multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak

CDC, FDA link Taco Bell lettuce supplier to multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak

Federal health officials have linked shredded iceberg lettuce served at some Taco Bell locations to a multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness caused by the Cyclospora cayetanensis parasite. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified a single supplier of iceberg lettuce from Mexico as the source for locations where sickened customers reported eating.

The advisory specifically warns consumers to avoid eating shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. The FDA noted that not all restaurants in these states received the implicated product and cautioned that additional states may be added to the advisory as more information becomes available.

Outbreak Scope and Symptoms

The current outbreak has sickened an estimated nearly 7,000 people across 34 states, according to CDC estimates. Public health investigators have epidemiologically tied 1,644 cases in the five affected states to Taco Bell, with 94 of those individuals hospitalized. All illnesses in this specific group began between May 13 and July 13.

Michigan has been the hardest hit, with state health officials reporting 4,312 cases and 102 hospitalizations since June 22. In Ohio, officials reported 1,244 cases, an increase from just under 200 cases at the beginning of July.

Cyclosporiasis causes symptoms that typically appear about a week after infection. These include:

• Watery or explosive diarrhea
• Fatigue and loss of appetite
• Abdominal cramping, bloating, and pain
• Low-grade fever
• Nausea and vomiting

The CDC is also investigating other national outbreaks of the illness that are unrelated to the Taco Bell incidents. Gwen Biggerstaff, deputy director of the CDC’s division of foodborne, waterborne and environmental diseases, stated on Tuesday that the agency is seeing an unusually high number of cases this summer and expects the outbreak to continue through August.

Investigation and Corporate Response

The identification of the lettuce as a likely source stemmed from an analysis in Michigan of 190 people who reported eating at Taco Bell. The FDA stated that 90% of those interviewed reported eating iceberg lettuce.

Taco Bell announced on Thursday, July 16, that it is voluntarily removing potentially impacted lettuce from its U.S. Supply chain. The company stated the affected ingredient would be indefinitely removed from the supply chain nationwide and replaced within 24 hours in select states.

"We believe public health is a shared responsibility among restaurants, their suppliers, and authorities, and we are proud to have consistently acted quickly and proactively to protect our guests,"

Taco Bell, via company statement

The FDA is currently working with the identified supplier to determine if contaminated lettuce remains on the market and has increased screening at the border for implicated products. State partners have also begun collecting product samples for analysis.

Questions Over Supplier Identity

While the FDA and CDC have not publicly named the supplier, multiple reports from The Washington Post and NBC News, citing anonymous sources, identified Taylor Farms of Salinas, California, as the potential source. These reports alleged that Taco Bell informed the FDA that it sources lettuce from Taylor Farms for the affected states.

Taco Bell did not confirm whether it uses Taylor Farms as a supplier. In a July 15 statement, the company emphasized that officials had not confirmed a link to any single company. Taylor Farms has not responded to inquiries regarding the investigation, and a company recall page updated July 14 listed no active product recalls.

Taylor Farms has been linked to previous foodborne illness events, including a 2013 cyclosporiasis outbreak in Iowa and Nebraska involving lettuce grown for Taylor Farms de Mexico in Guanajuato. Other instances include a 2024 E. Coli outbreak linked to onions supplied to McDonald's and possible listeria contamination in 2017. In 2025, CBS News reported that the FDA found dozens of food-safety violations at a Taylor Farms facility in Colorado.

Political Context

The surge in illnesses has brought scrutiny to the Trump administration's 2025 decisions to cut the CDC's surveillance of cyclospora and limit other federal food safety programs. However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that these cuts have not affected the federal government’s response, asserting that the CDC and FDA have the resources necessary to protect Americans.