Only days after Taylor Farms expanded its voluntary recall of lettuce products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a statement advising people to consider the cyclospora outbreak potentially linked to the California-based produce company a false positive.
Taylor Farms announced July 17 they were removing all products from their Taylor Farms de Mexico facility, where the alleged source of an ongoing, multistate outbreak occurred. With the latest FDA announcement, the current outbreak’s origins remain unclear.
“Due to the complexity in detection of Cyclospora, FDA laboratory experts re-reviewed the sample results and have concluded that the finding does not represent true amplification and should be considered a false positive,” the FDA wrote in the statement.
Cyclosporiasis, described as a gastrointestinal illness causing severe diarrhea among other bowel issues, was first reported among residents in the Midwest who ate Taco Bell’s shredded lettuce. After further investigation into the supplier, the FDA initially claimed the source was Taylor Farms in Mexico, but has since found evidence to the contrary.
“FDA has notified Taylor Farms and continues working with the firm to ensure product implicated in this outbreak has been removed from the market,” the FDA’s statement continued. “FDA and state partners continue to collect and analyze product samples. As of July 19, 2026, there are no confirmed positive sample results for product testing for Cyclospora.”
Although the source of the Cyclospora outbreak is no longer clear, the FDA is still urging residents to avoid eating lettuce when possible and to wash their hands thoroughly. With five cases reported in Mississippi, State Epidemiologist Dr. Renia Dotson also urged Mississippians to be cautious of what they eat to prevent cyclosporiasis.
“There is no prophylactic treatment at this time,” Dotson said. “I just think that if you start to feel symptoms and if you know you consumed some of those products, report symptoms early so that you can get treatment early. But there is no formal dedication that we are offering that will prevent it.”
