On July 17, Taylor Farms de Mexico of Guanajuato, Mexico, announced that they’re voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, said in a statement.
What’s included in the recall
Taylor Fresh Foods’ recall notice included Marketside-brand product available at Walmart:
- 12-oz and 24-oz Iceberg Salad with Best if Used By dates 7/18/2026 to 8/3/2026.
- 8-oz and 16-oz Shredded Lettuce with Best if Used By dates July 18th to Aug 3rd 2026.
A list of affected products distributed to Taylor Fresh Foods food service customers including lot codes, use-by dates, and instructions for returning or disposing of the affected product is available on the company’s recall notice.
Where the iceberg lettuce was sold
The shredded iceberg product was distributed June 29 through July 16 in Alabama, Arkansas , Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Lot not part of recall is detained
A sample of shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico has tested positive for Cyclospora. This sample was collected during targeted import surveillance as a result of this outbreak investigation. Taylor Farms has confirmed that this positive product isn’t part of their current recall. They are currently working to identify whether any part of this implicated lot is available in commerce or in consumers homes. The positive lot is currently detained and more information will be provided as it becomes available.
Cuts made to foodborne illness funding
In July 2026, the Trump administration scaled back FoodNet, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, foodborne illness surveillance program. These cuts included removing the requirement for tracking cyclosporiasis under the program. FoodNet is used to track illness trends over time, not monitor foods to prevent outbreaks, so these cuts did not increase the likelihood an outbreak would occur.
While FoodNet cuts didn’t cause this outbreak, lack of federal resources does make it harder for the CDC and its state partners to solve outbreaks like this one, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, or CSPI, said on its website.
Resource needs for food safety state partners continue to outpace available funding, with the CDC currently able to support only about 40 percent of partner requests for foodborne disease surveillance, detection, and response, the CSPI said. Cuts to other CDC-funded programs are also putting the squeeze on state programs that investigate foodborne illness, further impeding public health.
The CSPI and its coalition partners have been urging Congress to increase food safety funding this year by adding $37 million to the CDC’s budget.
How to avoid Cyclospora
Based on currently available information, the best way to prevent cyclosporiasis is to avoid food or water that may be contaminated with feces, according to the CDC. If you’re traveling to cyclosporiasis-endemic, regularly occurring within an area or region, areas such as tropical and subtropical regions, it’s important to know that routine chemical disinfection or sanitization of food or water is unlikely to kill Cyclospora.
People can take the following food and vegetable handling recommendations to reduce the risk of foodborne illness related to fresh produce:
· Wash hands with soap and water before and after handling or preparing raw fruits and vegetables.
· Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water before eating, cutting, or cooking.
· Wash produce even if it’s labeled as pre-washed.
· Scrub firm fruits and vegetables, such as melons and cucumbers, with a clean produce brush.
· Cut away any damaged or bruised areas on fruits and vegetables before preparing and eating.
· Cooking can kill the parasite. Since washing alone can’t guarantee the parasite’s removal, cook produce to a temperature of at least 158 °F.
· Refrigerate cut, peeled, or cooked fruits and vegetables as soon as possible, within two hours.
Farmers market shopping can reduce your risk
Cyclospora has been found in produce grown in the United States, but it’s more common in tropical and subtropical regions. So if you live in a cooler climate, buying locally grown produce means you probably won’t find this parasite, according to the CSPI.
Symptoms of Cyclospora can be serious
Most people infected with Cyclospora develop diarrhea, with frequent bowel movements. Other common symptoms include loss of appetite, weight loss, stomach cramps/pain, bloating, increased gas, nausea, and fatigue. Vomiting, body aches, headache, and fever may be noted. Some people who are infected with Cyclospora don’t have any symptoms.
If it isn’t treated, the illness may lead to dehydration and severe complications that may require higher levels of care. These complications may last from a few days to a month or longer.
Symptoms may seem to go away and then return one or more times. Immune compromised persons may experience more severe illness of longer duration along with complications requiring close medical attention.
