Federal health officials have identified shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants across five states as the source of a sprawling Cyclospora outbreak that has already surpassed the nation’s worst recorded year for the illness, with more than 5,100 suspected cases nationwide and the parasite spreading through at least 34 states.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Thursday warned consumers not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, where investigators have traced the outbreak to a single supplier.
The FDA declined to name the company publicly, but a federal official briefed on the investigation told the Associated Press it was Taylor Farms of Salinas, California—a produce giant with a history of foodborne contamination incidents.
Taylor Farms, which operates production facilities across the United States, Canada, Mexico and Western Europe, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The company has been tied to previous outbreaks, including a 2018 cyclospora outbreak linked to McDonald’s salads that sickened more than 500 people.
The scale of the current outbreak is staggering. Michigan officials have reported more than 4,300 cases in the southeastern part of the state alone, with at least 100 hospitalizations. Ohio’s northwest region has counted more than 1,100 cases. New York City officials have documented more than 400. Illinois has reported more than 200.
Nationwide, the CDC is aware of 1,645 confirmed domestic cases and more than 5,100 additional cases requiring further analysis—figures that already surpass the 2019 record of approximately 4,700 cases.
New Jersey Feeling the Strain
New Jersey has not been spared.
The Garden State has reported between 11 and 30 confirmed cases, according to CDC data, placing it among the 34 states grappling with infections. While New Jersey’s case count is lower than the hard-hit Midwestern states, health officials are bracing for more as the investigation expands.
The CDC has warned that additional states, restaurants, and distribution channels may be identified as the probe continues, and New Jersey’s proximity to New York City—which has reported more than 400 cases—raises concerns about cross-contamination and shared supply chains.
The parasite does not respect state lines. Contaminated produce from a single supplier can travel through distribution networks that serve multiple states, and New Jersey residents who dined at affected Taco Bell locations or consumed lettuce from the same supply chain may yet develop symptoms. The incubation period for Cyclospora can stretch from days to weeks, meaning the full scope of New Jersey’s exposure may not be known for some time.
‘Explosive’ Bowel Movements and a Parasite That Thrives in Heat
The microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis causes a gastrointestinal assault that the CDC describes as watery diarrhea “with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements.”
The illness, called cyclosporiasis, can also bring loss of appetite, weight loss, nausea, and fatigue that can persist for weeks if untreated. The parasite is heat-loving, thriving in warm climates, and spreads through feces. Humans become infected by consuming food or water contaminated with fecal matter—often through irrigation water tainted with human waste.
The illness is not usually life-threatening and is treatable with antibiotics, but hospitalization has been required in 141 of the confirmed cases. No deaths have been reported.
Outbreaks of cyclosporiasis typically spike in late spring and summer, and 2026 has proven no exception. The CDC has designated May 1 through August 31 as the cyclosporiasis season, and the current surge has prompted the agency to publish updated data more frequently than in previous years.
The median illness onset date so far is June 22, 2026, with cases ranging from May 1 to July 9. Officials expect case numbers to continue climbing through August.
A Supplier with a History
Taylor Farms has been implicated in past foodborne illness outbreaks, including a 2013 cyclospora outbreak linked to salad mix that sickened hundreds across multiple states. The company’s shredded iceberg lettuce, sourced from Mexico, was identified as the common thread in interviews with patients who reported eating at Taco Bell locations in the five affected states.
Federal officials have stressed that other brands, restaurants, retailers, and distribution channels could be identified as the investigation continues. “The investigation remains active,” said Emily Hilliard, a spokesperson for the Health and Human Services Department. “Additional states, restaurants, retailers, or products may be identified as more information becomes available.”
The FDA is working directly with the supplier to determine whether contaminated lettuce remains on the market in other states. Taco Bell has committed to removing the lettuce from its supply chain nationwide and replacing it within 24 hours in select states, the company said in a statement. The chain had earlier removed limited ingredients from select restaurants as a precautionary measure.
Michigan Bears the Brunt
Michigan has been the epicenter of the outbreak, with more than 3,300 cases reported and hundreds of new cases appearing daily. Health officials there have conducted more than 1,000 patient interviews and identified leafy lettuce as the leading suspected source based on patient recollections. The state has advised consumers to buy whole heads of lettuce, discard the outer layers, and wash the remainder thoroughly—while warning against bagged lettuce and pre-mixed salad kits.
Some Detroit-area Taco Bell locations posted notices informing customers they were “currently unable to sell Lettuce, Cilantro Onion, Pico de Gallo, and Guacamole due to a nationwide recall,” according to media reports. The company has not confirmed a recall, stating instead that it took voluntary action “out of an abundance of caution.”
Critics Question Investigation Methods
The outbreak has drawn criticism from the produce industry. The International Fresh Produce Association, a trade group, has questioned the reliance on patient recollections to identify the source. “Everything pointing to produce is based on recollections of patients, and even those recollections—based on what we hear—explain, at most, only half of the current cases,” said Max Teplitski, the association’s chief science officer. “We need to be candid about the limits of the data being used here.”
Teplitski noted that cyclospora can be difficult to detect in the environment and that testing methods have performed inconsistently. The CDC and FDA have acknowledged that not every case in the 34 affected states may be tied to a single source, and some cases may have been acquired through international travel. More than 440 cases have been reported in people who became sick while traveling outside the United States during the 14 days before they fell ill.
A Record Year in the Making
The current outbreak has already surpassed 2019 as the worst year on record for cyclospora infections in the United States. Officials say the true number of cases is almost certainly higher than reported, as some people recover without seeking medical care and may not be tested for the parasite.
There is a six-week reporting lag between illness onset and case reporting to the CDC, meaning the full scope of the outbreak will not be known for some time. The CDC expects case counts to rise as additional data is received and as the peak of the summer season approaches.
For New Jersey residents and the millions of Americans who have eaten at Taco Bell or consumed lettuce from the affected supply chain, the warning is plain: shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia should not be eaten.
Health officials urge anyone experiencing symptoms—particularly watery diarrhea that persists—to see a healthcare provider, who can test for cyclospora and prescribe appropriate antibiotics.
The parasite, as the CDC notes, is a microscopic sphere that causes misery in the bowels. It spreads through feces. It thrives in heat. And this summer, it has found its way onto the plates of thousands of Americans through a single supplier’s lettuce—lettuce the federal government has now confirmed was served at Taco Bell, and which may have reached tables far beyond the five states initially identified.
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