A recent sample of lettuce from Taylor Farms that detected the cyclosporiasis parasite was a false positive, federal officials say, but there is still “overwhelming” data to support the California-based company’s current recall of produce amid the outbreak.
On X, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stated, “To clarify, this false positive lab sample does not change the basis for FDA’s ongoing outbreak investigation or the overwhelming epidemiological data supporting the current voluntary recall by Taylor Farms.”
Over the weekend, the company, based in Salinas, said the FDA informed them that one of its iceberg lettuce products from central Mexico tested positive for cyclosporiasis, a parasite that can cause extreme diarrhea in humans. On Sunday, the company was informed the FDA made a mistake, “and this was a false positive,” the company said.
Regardless, the FDA’s traceback investigation and outbreak data — that’s linked to shredded lettuce supplied to Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia — continues to converge on shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms locations in central Mexico.
The regulatory agency said it continues to work with Taylor Farms, which also operates as Taylor Fresh Foods, to ensure “product implicated in this outbreak has been removed from the market.”
The FDA’s investigation is focused on products from Taylor Farms de Mexico, however, no samples from the farm have yet come back positive for the cyclosporiasis parasite.
Taylor Farms voluntarily recalls products
On Friday, the company voluntarily pulled its iceberg lettuce grown and processed in its Central Mexico facility, Taylor Farms de Mexico, from the United States market.
“While the FDA traceback is indicating a specific independent farm, which represents less than 1% of the U.S.’s iceberg lettuce supply, as the potential source of the outbreak, we have removed all iceberg lettuce from the region indefinitely,” the company said in a statement.
The shredded iceberg product was distributed across 27 states between June 29 and July 16.
The states where the product was distributed were:
- 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
- Wisconsin
A majority of products on the company’s recall list are items sold to restaurants and retailers including chopped lettuce, shredded lettuce, blends of iceberg and romaine lettuce, and salad mixes.
Taylor Farms’ recall notice included two products available at Walmart locations:
- 12- and 24-ounce bagged iceberg salads with “best if used by” dates of July 18 through August 3.
- 8- and 16-ounce bags of shredded lettuce with “best if used by” dates of July 18 through Aug 3.
A complete list of recalled items can be found on the FDA website here and the Taylor Farms website here.
Latest on multi-state cyclosporiasis outbreak
Cyclosporiasis infection causes debilitating watery diarrhea, fatigue and loss of appetite with symptoms lasting anywhere between a few days to a month or longer without treatment.
The epicenter of the outbreak remains in the state of Michigan, which continues to report cases. As of Monday, more than 6,000 people have been infected by the parasite and 102 people have been hospitalized.
The CDC has narrowed down the outbreak to five states — Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.
California has reported 41 cases of cyclosporiasis, between January and June, none of which are linked to the current outbreak. The reported cases are below the average of 100 cases reported annually in California.
Officials say the true number of cases nationwide is likely higher because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for the parasite.
