Taylor Farms has issued a voluntary recall of its bagged shredded iceberg lettuce across 27 states after federal investigators linked the product to a multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak affecting 34 states. The recall follows an investigation that identified Taylor Farms as the supplier of the lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants associated with the outbreak.
The recalled lettuce was distributed in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. The company is also removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market due to potential contamination with the Cyclospora parasite.
Taylor Farms advised consumers who purchased the recalled lettuce to discard it and offered full refunds at the point of purchase. The company has ceased receiving products from the implicated lot, suspended distribution of the affected lettuce, and is collaborating with the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and state health officials.
No other products from Taylor Fresh Foods are affected by this recall, and none of its salad kits contain iceberg lettuce. The CDC reported at least 1,645 cases of cyclosporiasis in the U.S. this year, significantly higher than the previous year. Cyclosporiasis is a gastrointestinal illness caused by a parasite, with symptoms including severe diarrhea, loss of appetite, and fatigue. Taco Bell stated it has removed potentially affected lettuce from its supply chain.