Taylor Farms, one of the United States' largest fresh produce companies, has issued a voluntary recall of shredded iceberg lettuce distributed across 27 states after the product was linked to a rapidly growing outbreak of cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness caused by a microscopic parasite. The California-based company said it has stopped sourcing lettuce from the implicated facility in Guanajuato, a state in central Mexico, and that Sysco, the country's largest food distributor, has halted distribution of all Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce from Mexico, instructing customers to destroy existing stock.

The recall covers 25 shredded lettuce and salad mix products sold under eight different brand codes, with shipments reaching states including Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New Jersey as recently as Thursday, with best-by dates extending to 3 August. Taylor Farms did not publicly identify the brand names or specific retail and food-service outlets carrying the recalled products — an omission likely to complicate efforts by stores, restaurants and consumers to identify contaminated items. Large retailers such as Costco, Target and Walmart carry Taylor Farms products, and the producer also owns organic brands including Earthbound Farm. Taco Bell, the first restaurant chain to act on the outbreak, has removed the implicated lettuce from its supply chain nationwide after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) specifically warned against consuming Taylor Farms shredded iceberg lettuce served at its locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.

Cyclospora cayetanensis is a parasite that typically enters the food supply when produce is irrigated or washed with water contaminated by human feces. It causes intestinal illness characterised by frequent, sometimes severe diarrhoea. In 2026, at least 1,645 cases have been confirmed across the US, with 141 hospitalisations, and authorities are investigating more than 5,000 additional illnesses that may be linked. The scale is striking compared with the same period last year, when only 249 cases had been reported nationally. Michigan alone has confirmed more than 5,000 cases, and at least 34 states have reported infections — though New York and Colorado, both reporting higher-than-usual case numbers, were not included on the recall list, suggesting the investigation may not yet be complete.

The FDA has cautioned that additional implicated brands, restaurants or distribution channels may be identified as its traceback investigation continues, and authorities expect new cases to emerge for at least another two weeks given the parasite's incubation period. Officials also flagged that other produce grown or processed at the same Guanajuato facility — or sourced from nearby suppliers sharing potentially contaminated irrigation water — could present additional risks.

This is not Taylor Farms' first encounter with a serious foodborne illness outbreak. The company was linked to a cyclospora outbreak at restaurant chains including Olive Garden and Red Lobster in 2013, and in October 2024, slivered onions from the producer were connected to an E. coli outbreak centred on McDonald's Quarter Pounders. The scale of the current outbreak underscores broader concerns about the safety of fresh produce supply chains that span borders, rely on shared water sources, and distribute products under multiple brand names — making rapid, transparent recalls essential but often difficult to execute.