The latest on recalls in the US lettuce food poisoning outbreak, including Taco Bell and Walmart

A lettuce-related food poisoning outbreak has grown beyond Taco Bell and into grocery stores, restaurant suppliers and foodservice distribution.

Federal health officials say shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico served at Taco Bell locations in five states has been linked to a Cyclospora outbreak.

But two things are worth separating from the start, because the headlines blur them together.

First, there is the Taco Bell cluster: a five-state outbreak the FDA and CDC have tied to shredded iceberg lettuce from a single supplier. As of the FDA’s July 17 update, 1,644 illnesses had been reported among people who said they ate at Taco Bell in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, including 94 hospitalizations and no deaths. (fda.gov)

Second, there is a much larger national picture. The CDC has described roughly 7,000 suspected cyclosporiasis cases across about 34 states this summer — one of the biggest foodborne illness clusters in the U.S. in years. The FDA has been explicit that the Taco Bell illnesses are only a subset of that national total, and the CDC says some of the nationwide cases are unrelated to this outbreak. In other words, thousands of sick people never ate at Taco Bell, and investigators have not pinned all of those illnesses on this lettuce. (cbsnews.com)

Cyclospora is a parasite that can cause cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness often marked by watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, stomach cramps, bloating, nausea and fatigue. Symptoms usually appear about a week after exposure, and can seem to improve before returning.

Taylor Farms recalled iceberg lettuce from central Mexico

The biggest recall development came from Taylor Farms.

On July 17, the company — Taylor Fresh Foods, based in Salinas, California — announced it was voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market, and told the FDA it would initiate a recall. Taylor Farms said the FDA traceback pointed to a single independent farm that it estimated represents less than 1% of the U.S. iceberg lettuce supply, and that it pulled lettuce from the region indefinitely as a result. (nbcnews.com)

The recall is broader than one fast-food chain. Taylor Farms’ own recall notice covered iceberg lettuce distributed in 27 states — including chopped iceberg, shredded iceberg, salad mixes, iceberg-romaine blends and foodservice lettuce products — reaching both grocery shelves and restaurant suppliers. (washingtonpost.com)

According to the recall notice, the states that received the affected lettuce are Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Reporting has placed the distribution window in late June and early July, with some best-if-used-by dates extending into early August. Because dates and lot codes are the most reliable way to identify affected product, check them against the official Taylor Farms and retailer recall notices rather than relying on a general timeframe.

Taco Bell removed the implicated lettuce

Taco Bell was the first major restaurant name tied directly to the outbreak.

The FDA advised consumers not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, and noted that not every Taco Bell location in those states received the implicated product. (fda.gov)

Taco Bell said it removed the affected Taylor Farms lettuce from its restaurants and its nationwide supply chain, and committed to stop using lettuce from the supplier identified by the FDA. The chain had earlier described pulling some ingredients as a precaution before the supplier was named. (cnn.com)

That does not mean every Taco Bell item nationwide was unsafe. The warning centers on shredded iceberg lettuce from the supplier investigators identified.

Walmart’s Marketside lettuce is part of the recall

The grocery-store side of the recall is drawing attention because some Walmart private-label products were included.

Walmart removed four bagged iceberg lettuce products from stores in affected states as a precaution and told customers to throw them away or return them for a refund. The company said there were no confirmed illnesses linked to its products, and that it acted after receiving notice from its supplier. (yahoo.com)

The affected Walmart items are Marketside bagged iceberg salad and Marketside shredded iceberg lettuce, in multiple bag sizes.

That makes the outbreak more complicated for consumers. It is no longer only a question of whether someone recently ate at Taco Bell. Shoppers may also need to check bagged iceberg lettuce at home, especially Marketside products with the recalled dates and codes — while keeping in mind that no illnesses have been tied to the grocery bags so far.

Restaurants and cafeterias may also be affected

The recall also reaches foodservice channels.

Sysco, the nation’s largest foodservice distributor, said it was removing iceberg lettuce sourced from Mexico from its supply chain. Analysts who examined the recall notice have suggested other large distributors and their private produce labels may be affected as well, though not every distributor has confirmed its involvement on the record. (yahoo.com)

That means recalled lettuce may have reached restaurants, cafeterias, institutions or other businesses that have not been publicly named. The FDA has warned that more brands, restaurants, retailers or distribution channels could be identified as the investigation continues.

What is not included

Taylor Farms says its branded salad kits and bagged salads are not part of the recall, and that no other Taylor Fresh Foods products across the country are affected. The recall is centered specifically on iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico, not every product carrying the Taylor Farms name. (cbsnews.com)

This is not Taylor Farms’ first cyclospora outbreak

The company has been linked to produce-related illness before. In 2013, the FDA traced a multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak — with illness clusters at Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants in Iowa and Nebraska — to salad mix from Taylor Farms de Mexico. More recently, in 2024, an E. coli outbreak tied to onions from a Taylor Farms facility briefly forced McDonald’s to stop serving onions on Quarter Pounders at some locations. (nbcnews.com)

None of that establishes the cause of the current outbreak, which remains under investigation, but it is why the company’s name draws extra scrutiny.

What customers should do now

• Do not eat recalled lettuce. Throw away affected product or return it for a refund, and check dates and lot codes against the official recall notices.
• Clean up carefully. The FDA recommends cleaning and sanitizing surfaces, containers or refrigerator areas that may have touched the lettuce. Note that rinsing produce does not reliably remove Cyclospora; thorough cooking (to about 158°F) is what kills the parasite.
• Know the symptoms and the testing catch. Watch for watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, cramps and fatigue. If you get sick, contact a health care provider — and be aware that a standard stool test does not always screen for Cyclospora, so you may need to request that specific test.
• Don’t assume it’s over. Cyclosporiasis can last for weeks if untreated, and symptoms can appear to improve before coming back.

For now, the safest takeaway is simple: check your lettuce, watch for recall updates, and remember that this outbreak did not end when Taco Bell pulled lettuce from its restaurants — and that it was never only about Taco Bell.

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