Cyclosporiasis outbreak: Taylor Farms removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the US market

Fruit and vegetable producer Taylor Fresh Foods says it is voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market amid an ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak across the country that has sickened more than 1,600 people.

As of Friday, The CDC said The outbreak in several states remains under investigation and is now linked to shredded iceberg lettuce that was served at some Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.

US Food and Drug Administration It said Thursday that its traceability investigation had identified a single supplier of iceberg lettuce from Mexico that was used at those Taco Bell locations.

Taco Bell said in a statement that it took “immediate action to remove potentially affected lettuce from a supplier in select states” after “ongoing conversations with public health officials.”

“We believe public health is a shared responsibility between restaurants, their suppliers and authorities, and we are proud that we have consistently acted quickly and proactively to protect our guests,” the statement read in part. “Taco Bell has taken precautionary measures, and we encourage all restaurants, retailers and related food service operators to do the same.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Food and Drug Administration said they are also investigating other cyclosporiasis illnesses that may not be related to lettuce served to Taco Bell restaurants, “in collaboration with state and local partners.” Overall, there have been more than 1,644 confirmed cases of cyclosporiosis across the country, with 94 hospitalizations and no deaths reported to date.

Cases of cyclosporiosis occur every year, but were reported more this year than last year.

In a statement to ABC News on Friday, Taylor Fresh Foods said in part: “While FDA tracking points to a specific independent farm, which represents less than 1% of the U.S. iceberg lettuce supply, as a potential source of the outbreak, we have removed all iceberg lettuce from the area indefinitely.”

Taylor Farms, a subsidiary of Taylor Fresh Foods, supplies, supplies, and processes fruits and vegetables to numerous restaurants and grocery stores across the United States. before Distribute it. The company said it obtained the suspected lettuce Outbreak From one independent farm in central Mexico, but is removing all sources of lettuce from the region as an indefinite precaution.

The company said it was “deeply concerned for those who have contracted the disease, their families, and the many Americans whose confidence in the safety of their fresh produce has been shaken.”

“No other Taylor Fresh Foods products nationwide are affected,” she continued. “No Taylor Farms branded salad variety contains iceberg lettuce.”

She added: “This trust is something we have worked for decades to earn, and we are committed to doing everything we can to restore that trust. We will provide ongoing updates as new information emerges.”

Earlier in the week, on Tuesday, Taylor Farms shared a statement on its website saying, “At Taylor Farms, the health and safety of our consumers is always our top priority. We are committed to providing fresh, healthy products that meet the highest quality standards.”

“In the rare event that a product does not meet these standards, we take immediate action to remove the affected items from distribution and notify our customers,” she added.

Here’s what to know about the Salinas, California-based company.

A leading family-owned vegetable production company

Taylor Farms was founded by Bruce Taylor in the Salinas Valley of Monterey County, California, in 1995, and remains family-owned today, with Taylor serving as chairman and CEO, according to the company’s website.

Taylor Farms describes itself as the “leading global producer” of fresh vegetables, meal kits and salads, and supplies restaurants with the freshest ingredients. Today, the company operates production facilities in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe, according to its website.

In 2019, Taylor Farms acquired the Earthbound Farm salad kit brand from Danone.

Previous food safety issue

It was Taylor Farms Previously associated with it A The previous food safety issue was in October 2024, when the company voluntarily recalled raw onions Which the FDA says is likely linked To McDonald’s Quarter Pounder sandwiches And bacterial Escherichia coli outbreak.

The outbreak ended in December 2024 and resulted in 104 confirmed cases of illness, 34 hospitalizations, and one death in 14 states, according to Center for Disease Control.

In a statement In December of that year, McDonald’s said the issue was “fully contained – and any contaminated product associated with this issue has been removed from our supply chain as of October 22, 2024.”