Quick bites from around the food safety arena this week
The scope of Cyclospora outbreaks nationwide continues to grow as more cases are confirmed. In relation to one outbreak, Taylor Farms has recalled all iceberg lettuce sold in the U.S. that was sourced from a processing plant in central Mexico.- FSN reporter Joe Whitworth is reporting on research into foodborne illness outbreaks in the south Pacific. In part one of his series, he looks at the cause of a salmonella outbreak in Australia in 2023. Part two examines four Vibrio outbreaks from 2019 to 2022 in New Zealand. Forensic research helps scientists and public health officials develop preventive plans and improve their response to foodborne illness outbreaks.
- About two million people in the Netherlands were affected by food-related pathogens in 2025. The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment tracked 1,142 outbreaks and 12 large epidemics involving at least 25 people. Salmonella Enteritidis infections are at their highest level in 20 years due to an increase in in the number of Dutch people keeping laying hens and consuming contaminated eggs.
- Midwest Poultry Services recalled more than 1.5 million eggs because of the risk of Salmonella contamination. The eggs had been sold in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi and New Mexico. It now appears that since late 2025 nearly 100 people may have been sickened by the same Salmonella strain found in the recalled eggs.
Today’s Topic: A Directory of Foodborne Illnesses
Foodborne illness outbreaks that are either very large or very deadly capture the public’s imagination.
Outbreaks of cyclosporiasis affecting 15,000 people across at least 41 states is certainly an attention-getter, especially when one involves a national fast-food chain (Taco Bell) and a multinational produce supplier (Taylor Farms).