CDC identifies Mexican lettuce from Taco Bell as cyclospora outbreak source

On Thursday evening, federal health officials drew a line from a parasite spreading across the country back to a single source: shredded iceberg lettuce from Mexico, served at Taco Bell restaurants in five states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned consumers in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia to avoid the contaminated greens. Behind that warning lay a record-breaking outbreak of cyclospora, a microscopic parasite that causes severe, sometimes explosive diarrhea, with cases now reported in more than thirty states.

The Food and Drug Administration's investigation traced the lettuce to a single supplier: Taylor Farms, based in Salinas, California. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Taco Bell, moving swiftly once the contamination was identified, committed to discontinuing use of lettuce from that supplier and replacing it within twenty-four hours in the affected states. The company had already begun removing potentially contaminated product from select locations before the federal announcement came.

Cyclospora is not typically life-threatening. The parasite infects the bowels and spreads through feces-contaminated water, often reaching people through fruits and vegetables exposed to irrigation water that has been compromised. Antibiotics treat the illness, called cyclosporiasis. Yet the scale of this outbreak is staggering. Michigan, which appears to be the epicenter, has reported more than five thousand confirmed cases, with another two thousand probable or suspected cases scattered across other states. More than one hundred people in Michigan have required hospitalization, and dozens more have been admitted to hospitals elsewhere. No deaths have been recorded.

This outbreak has shattered previous records. In 2019, the year that held the record for cyclospora cases in the United States, roughly forty-seven hundred people fell ill. The current surge has far exceeded that. Experts point to climate change and improved detection methods as drivers of the rising trend, though they also acknowledge that cyclospora cases were likely underreported for years. The parasite is difficult to identify in standard food-poisoning tests, and laboratories cannot grow it in culture, making it hard to confirm contamination in produce. When people do fall ill, pinpointing the source becomes a puzzle—a single ingredient like basil or cilantro might appear in multiple dishes, obscuring the true culprit.

Taylor Farms carries a troubling history. The company was linked to a cyclosporiasis outbreak in 2013 tied to contaminated salad mix, and more recently to an E. coli outbreak in 2024 involving onions served at McDonald's. Taco Bell itself has been connected to foodborne illness outbreaks in the past. The current investigation remains open. Federal officials are working to determine whether contaminated lettuce from the same supplier remains in circulation in other states or through other distribution channels. The warning to consumers is specific for now—avoid the lettuce at those five Taco Bell locations—but the investigation suggests the problem may be wider than what has already been identified.