FDA Confirms Taylor Farms Lettuce Cyclospora Test Was Incorrect

WHO:

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed a false positive test for cyclospora in a sample of lettuce from Taylor Farms.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - Taylor Fresh Foods is the parent company of Taylor Farms.

WHAT:

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The FDA stated that it continues to work with Taylor Farms and its Taylor Farms de Mexico operation to ensure products implicated in the investigation have been removed from the market.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The FDA confirmed that as of the announcement, it had not found any "confirmed positive sample results for product testing for Cyclospora."

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The CDC reported that there are now over 1,600 confirmed cases of diarrhea caused by Cyclospora, with 94 people hospitalized.

[12:56 AM EDT] - NPR - The FDA's recommendation is still not to eat iceberg lettuce grown or processed by Taylor Farms in Mexico, and health officials recommend discarding any recalled iceberg lettuce distributed by Taylor Fresh Foods.

[12:56 AM EDT] - NPR - The FDA is continuing to test lettuce samples and is also testing produce at the southern border to check for Cyclospora.

[12:56 AM EDT] - Fox Business - Taylor Fresh Foods stated that the FDA informed the company that the initial result was incorrect, emphasizing, "To be clear, at this moment, FDA has not identified a single positive product test result for Cyclospora."

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - Walmart announced it had removed four Marketside bagged iceberg lettuce salad products from its stores in more than two dozen states, although it added there was "no indication that products sold in our stores are affected by the current Cyclospora investigations."

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The outbreak has sickened more than 1,600 people across 34 states, according to the CDC, but state health departments have reported larger numbers of cases, with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reporting more than 5,000 confirmed cases as of Friday.

[12:56 AM EDT] - NBC News - The FDA stated that it is continuing to investigate the outbreak linked to Taylor Farms lettuce, despite the false positive test result.

[12:56 AM EDT] - Fox Business - Taylor Fresh Foods confirmed that the FDA apologized to the company over the erroneous test result.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The CDC identified the outbreak as one of the largest in recent years, with the number of cases reported by state health departments significantly exceeding the CDC's official count.

[12:56 AM EDT] - WRAL - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported a total of 307 cases of cyclosporiasis in North Carolina, with 270 cases specifically in Wake County.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - Taylor Farms stated that it is "voluntarily removing" all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market indefinitely.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The FDA confirmed that no product samples had produced a confirmed positive result for Cyclospora as of the announcement.

[12:56 AM EDT] - Fox Business - The FDA stated that the initial finding of a positive test for Cyclospora should be considered a false positive following an additional laboratory review.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - Taylor Farms indicated that the traceback by the FDA is pointing to a specific independent farm, which represents less than 1% of the U.S.'s iceberg lettuce supply, as the potential source of the outbreak.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The FDA stated that as of the announcement, it had not found any "confirmed positive sample results for product testing for Cyclospora."

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The outbreak has led to around 100 hospitalizations so far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - No deaths have been reported in connection with the outbreak.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - Taylor Farms stated that it is "voluntarily removing" all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The CDC identified lettuce supplied to select Taco Bell restaurants as a source of the multistate outbreak, more than a month after cases first began to appear.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - Taco Bell confirmed it had "completed removal of affected Taylor Farms lettuce from our restaurants."

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The outbreak has led to around 100 hospitalizations so far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - Walmart announced it had removed four Marketside bagged iceberg lettuce salad products from its stores in more than two dozen states.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The outbreak was first reported in May and has sickened more than 1,600 people across 34 states, according to the CDC, although state health departments have reported larger numbers of cases.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reported more than 5,000 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis as of Friday.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - Taylor Farms stated that the FDA informed the company that the initial result was incorrect and that "To be clear, at this moment, FDA has not identified a single positive product test result for Cyclospora."

[12:56 AM EDT] - Fox Business - The FDA apologized to Taylor Farms over the erroneous result, although the agency did not include an apology in its public statement.

[12:56 AM EDT] - WRAL - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 307 cases of cyclosporiasis in North Carolina, with 270 cases in Wake County.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The FDA stated that no product samples had produced a confirmed positive result for cyclospora as of the announcement.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - Taylor Farms initiated a voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico on July 17.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The outbreak has sickened more than 1,600 people across 34 states, according to the CDC.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reported more than 5,000 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis.

WHERE:

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The affected lettuce was distributed to Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The iceberg lettuce was sourced from central Mexico.

WHEN:

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The FDA announced the false positive on a Sunday.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce was initiated on July 17.

WHY:

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The FDA stated that the initial finding of a positive test for Cyclospora should be considered a false positive following an additional laboratory review due to the complexity in detecting Cyclospora.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The FDA re-reviewed the sample results due to the complexity in detecting cyclospora and concluded the initial finding was a false positive.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - Taylor Farms stated the recall was completed "in an abundance of caution" based on initial information from health officials.

HOW:

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The FDA continues to work with Taylor Farms and its Taylor Farms de Mexico operation to ensure products implicated in the investigation have been removed from the market.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The FDA stated it continues to work with Taylor Farms and its Taylor Farms de Mexico operation to ensure products implicated in the investigation have been removed from the market.

[12:56 AM EDT] - CBS News - The FDA laboratory experts conducted a re-review of the sample results to determine the accuracy of the initial test.

(UPDATED July 21, 2026 05:54 UTC)

The FDA is actively collaborating with Taylor Farms and its operation in Mexico to ensure that any products linked to a recent investigation are removed from the market. As of now, the FDA has not identified any confirmed positive samples for Cyclospora, even as the CDC reports over 1,600 confirmed cases of diarrhea related to the outbreak, with 94 individuals hospitalized. Health officials are advising consumers to avoid eating iceberg lettuce grown or processed by Taylor Farms in Mexico and to discard any recalled iceberg lettuce distributed by Taylor Fresh Foods.

(UPDATED July 21, 2026 04:04 UTC)

Taylor Fresh Foods has announced that the FDA has clarified its earlier findings, stating that there has not been a single positive product test result for Cyclospora. In response to the ongoing outbreak, which has affected over 1,600 people across 34 states, Walmart has removed four Marketside bagged iceberg lettuce salad products from its stores, although they emphasized that there is no indication these products are linked to the current investigations. The FDA has labeled the initial positive test result as a false positive after further laboratory review, highlighting the challenges in accurately detecting Cyclospora.

(UPDATED July 21, 2026 02:49 UTC)

The FDA is continuing its investigation into the outbreak linked to Taylor Farms lettuce, despite a false positive test result that the agency has since apologized for to the company. The CDC has identified this outbreak as one of the largest in recent years, with state health departments reporting a significantly higher number of cases than the CDC's official count. In North Carolina alone, the Department of Health and Human Services has reported a total of 307 cases of cyclosporiasis, with 270 of those occurring in Wake County.

(UPDATED July 20, 2026 22:20 UTC)

Taylor Farms has announced that it is voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market indefinitely. The FDA confirmed that no product samples have tested positive for Cyclospora, and they now believe the initial positive test result should be considered a false positive after further review. The FDA is collaborating with Taylor Farms to ensure that any products linked to the investigation are effectively removed from the market, with traceback efforts indicating a specific independent farm as the potential source, which accounts for less than one percent of the nation’s iceberg lettuce supply.

(UPDATED July 20, 2026 21:22 UTC)

The FDA has announced that it has not found any confirmed positive samples for Cyclospora, while Taylor Farms has identified a specific independent farm as the potential source of the outbreak, which accounts for less than 1% of the U.S. iceberg lettuce supply. So far, around 100 hospitalizations have been reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but thankfully, no deaths have occurred in connection with this outbreak. The affected lettuce was distributed to Taco Bell restaurants across several states, including Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia, and the FDA is working closely with Taylor Farms to ensure that implicated products are removed from the market.

(UPDATED July 20, 2026 16:22 UTC)

Taylor Farms has announced that it is voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market, following a multistate outbreak linked to the lettuce supplied to select Taco Bell restaurants. The CDC has reported that this outbreak has sickened more than 1,600 people across 34 states, with some state health departments, like Michigan's, reporting over 5,000 confirmed cases. Taco Bell has confirmed that it has completed the removal of the affected lettuce and the FDA is working closely with Taylor Farms to ensure that all implicated products are taken off the market.

(UPDATED July 20, 2026 14:38 UTC)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that an outbreak has sickened more than 1,600 people across 34 states, leading to around 100 hospitalizations. In response, Walmart has removed four Marketside bagged iceberg lettuce salad products from its stores in over two dozen states, while the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed more than 5,000 cases of cyclosporiasis. The FDA is actively collaborating with Taylor Farms and its Taylor Farms de Mexico operation to ensure that any implicated products are taken off the market.

(UPDATED July 20, 2026 13:33 UTC)

In a significant update, Taylor Farms announced that the FDA has clarified its earlier findings, stating that it has not identified any positive product test results for Cyclospora. The FDA also issued an apology to Taylor Farms for the incorrect result, although this apology was not included in their public statement. Meanwhile, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has reported a total of 307 cases of cyclosporiasis in the state, with 270 of those cases occurring in Wake County.

(UPDATED July 20, 2026 12:33 UTC)

The FDA has confirmed that a recent test for cyclospora in a sample of lettuce from Taylor Farms was a false positive, with no confirmed positive results reported. In response to initial health concerns, Taylor Farms initiated a voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico on July 17, which has been linked to an outbreak affecting over 1,600 people across 34 states. The affected lettuce was distributed to Taco Bell restaurants in several states, including Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia, and the recall was carried out "in an abundance of caution" as the FDA re-evaluated the sample results.