The owners of Taylor Farms have confirmed that their lettuce is behind a multistate outbreak of infections from the Cyclospora parasite.
Additionally, federal officials say the lettuce has been used by Taco Bell restaurants and is the cause of the outbreak. Taco Bell has removed lettuce from all of its menu items.
Neither the Food and Drug Administration nor the Centers for Disease Control and Protection named the lettuce supplier, but they did name Taco Bell.
The Taylor Farms lettuce was imported from central Mexico and is being pulled from circulation, according to the company. Taylor Farms says that the implicated farm represents less than 1 percent of the U.S. iceberg lettuce supply. The company said in a statement Friday afternoon that it was removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market.
The company, based in of Salinas, CA, says iceberg lettuce is not used in its salad kits and no salad kits are associated with the outbreak. In addition to Taco Bell, Taylor Farms supplies produce to major fast food and grocery chains such as KFC, Pizza Hut, Walmart and Trader Joe’s.
The FDA and CDC say the illnesses in the outbreak — reported from Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia — represent only a portion of Cyclospora infections currently under investigation and involve only one of several outbreaks. Overall, the CDC is reporting illnesses in 34 states.
As of this afternoon, the CDC is reporting that 1,644 people are infected with Cyclospora and reporting exposures to Taco Bell have been reported by five states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from May 13 to July 13.
There have been 94 hospitalizations, and no deaths have been reported. Michigan analyzed food exposure details from 190 of the patients who reported eating at Taco Bell and found that 90 percent of those interviewed reported eating iceberg lettuce.
Michigan and other states are reporting many more illnesses than the CDC. State public health officials in Michigan said today that there are 5,002 patients with 102 hospitalizations. It is unclear whether all of the Michigan patients are involved in the Taco Bell/Taylor Farms outbreak.
Indiana is reporting more than 320 patients; Kentucky is reporting more than 190; Ohio is reporting more than 1,240; and West Virginia is reporting 139 cases.
By this time of year, Michigan usually has 40 to 50 confirmed cases of confirmed cyclospora infections.
Numbers from the CDC are lagging behind state reports because the agency stopped tracking cyclospora infections and seven other types of foodborne pathogens beginning July 1, 2025.
The main symptom of cyclospora infection is severe diarrhea, which can last for a month or more if not treated and can easily cause serious dehydration.
Anyone who has developed symptoms of Cyclospora infection, and has reason to believe they have been exposed to the parasite, should seek medical attention. Specific tests are required and antibiotics are used to fight the parasite.
Cyclospora infection can cause severe abdominal pain, watery and often explosive diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, body aches, and fatigue. Symptoms can develop between two and 14 days after exposure. Though symptoms can be severe enough to send people to the hospital, it's rare for people to die from Cyclospora infections.
