Taylor Farms told regulators it will recall ingredients tied to a cyclospora outbreak that sickened thousands across the Midwest. Taco Bell pulled lettuce days earlier. The past E. coli link to McDonald's adds context.
Lettuce supplier Taylor Farms told US regulators the company is preparing to recall ingredients tied to a cyclospora outbreak that has sickened thousands, according to a document viewed by Bloomberg News.
The scope of the recall remains unclear. A representative for Taylor Farms, one of the nation's largest produce suppliers, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The Food and Drug Administration also didn't respond.
The recall is the strongest signal yet of the outbreak's source. Taco Bell pulled some lettuce from Midwest restaurants this week after US health authorities tied the illnesses to shredded lettuce and pointed to a single supplier.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 1,645 cyclospora infections across 34 states. Michigan, the hardest-hit state, has recorded more than 4,300 illnesses.
Cyclosporiasis, caused by a microscopic parasite, brings severe diarrhea, fatigue and nausea. Symptoms can appear up to two weeks after ingestion, which complicates efforts to trace the origin.
In a July 14 post, Taylor Farms said health and safety is its top priority. “In the rare event a product does not meet these standards, we take immediate action to remove affected items from distribution and notify our customers,” the company wrote.
Taylor Farms has been through this before. In 2024, it recalled yellow onion batches from a Chicago facility after an E. coli outbreak tied to some McDonald’s Corp. burgers sickened more than 100 people across 14 states. McDonald’s stopped sourcing onions from that facility and temporarily pulled its Quarter Pounder burgers. The fast-food chain's shares took a hit at the time.
A subsidiary of Taylor Farms was also linked to a cyclospora outbreak in 2013, according to CNN.
Founded in 1995 in California's Salinas Valley, Taylor Farms employs more than 20,000 people. It sells produce in major US supermarkets and supplies restaurants and food service providers. The company calls itself "the leading global producer of salads and healthy fresh foods" and runs facilities across the US, Canada, Mexico and Western Europe. Its brands include Earthbound Farm, acquired in 2019.
Drafted by a large language model from the source reporting linked above, then screened by automated publishing checks. It is not read by a journalist before publication. Some articles cite our Alpha Score. Verify prices and figures against the original source. Educational coverage, not personalized advice.