Taylor Farms Recalls Lettuce After CDC Links It to Cyclosporiasis Cases in Five States

Taylor Farms announced a recall of shredded iceberg lettuce on July 17 after the CDC and FDA linked the product to cyclosporiasis illnesses in Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. The agencies tied the cases to lettuce served at Taco Bell locations. The restaurant chain removed lettuce from menus in the five affected states.

Michigan has recorded the largest share of the outbreak, with 5,002 cases and 102 hospitalizations as of July 17. New York reported 510 cases as of early July, and illnesses have appeared in 34 states since May 1. The national total exceeds several thousand cases and more than 100 hospitalizations.

Michigan normally logs fewer than 50 cyclosporiasis cases annually. The current volume has extended sample processing times at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services beyond the usual minimum of three days. Symptoms can take up to two weeks to appear after ingestion of contaminated food, according to epidemiologist Craig Hedberg of the University of Minnesota.

The parasite cannot be grown in laboratories like many other foodborne pathogens, and its genome is roughly nine times larger than that of E. coli, complicating genetic analysis. The CDC reduced surveillance for Cyclospora in 2025 along with several other pathogens.

Funding for food safety programs has remained flat for years, state officials said.