Taylor Farms Takes Bold Action Amid Massive Cyclosporiasis Outbreak
Fruit and vegetable producer Taylor Fresh Foods says it is voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market amid an ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak across the country that has sickened more than 1,600 people.As of Friday, the CDC said the multistate outbreak remains under investigation and is now linked to shredded iceberg lettuce that was served at some Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that its traceback investigation had identified a single supplier of iceberg lettuce from Mexico that was used at those Taco Bell locations.In a statement, Taco Bell said it had taken "immediate action to voluntarily remove potentially impacted lettuce from a supplier in select states" following "ongoing conversations with public health officials.""We believe public health is a shared responsibility among restaurants, their suppliers, and authorities, and we are proud to have consistently acted quickly and proactively to protect our guests," the statement read in part. "Taco Bell has taken precautionary action, and we encourage all relevant restaurants, retailers, and foodservice operators to do the same."The CDC and FDA said they are also investigating other cyclosporiasis illnesses that may be unrelated to the lettuce supplied to Taco Bell restaurants, "in collaboration with state and local partners." Overall, there have been more than 1,644 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis across the country, with 94 hospitalizations and no reported deaths so far.Cyclosporiasis cases happen every year, but there have been more reported this year than in general.Cyclospora cayetanensis is a unicellular parasite that causes an intestinal infection called cyclosporiasis.CDCIn a statement to ABC News on Friday, Taylor Fresh Foods said in part, "While the FDA traceback is indicating a specific independent farm, which represents less than 1% of the U.S.'s iceberg lettuce supply, as the potential source of the outbreak, we have removed all iceberg lettuce from the region indefinitely."Taylor Farms, a subsidiary of Taylor Fresh Foods, supplies fruits and vegetables to many restaurants and grocery stores throughout the U.S., sourcing and processing the food before distributing it. The company said it sourced the lettuce suspected in the outbreak from a single independent farm in central Mexico, but it is removing all lettuce sourced from the region as a precaution indefinitely. The company said it is "deeply concerned for those who became ill, their families, and the many Americans whose trust in the safety of their fresh produce has been shaken.""No other Taylor Fresh Foods products across the country are impacted," it continued. "No Taylor Farms branded salad kits contain iceberg lettuce."Taylor Farms corporate logo.Taylor Farms "That trust is something we've worked for decades to earn, and we are committed to doing everything in our power to restore that confidence. We will provide continuous updates as new information emerge," it added.Popular ReadsEarlier in the week, on Tuesday, Taylor Farms shared a statement on its website, saying, "At Taylor Farms, the health and safety of our consumers is always our top priority. We are committed to delivering fresh, wholesome products that meet the highest quality standards."It added, "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."Here's what to know about the Salinas, California-based company.A leading, family-owned vegetable producerTaylor Farms was founded by Bruce Taylor in the Salinas Valley in Monterey County, California, in 1995 and remains family-owned today, with Taylor serving as chairman and CEO, according to the company's website.Taylor Farms describes itself as "the leading global producer" of fresh vegetables, meal kits, and salads, and supplies restaurants with fresh ingredients. Today, the company operates production facilities in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Europe, according to its website.In 2019, Taylor Farms acquired salad kit brand Earthbound Farm from Danone.Past food safety issueTaylor Farms was previously linked to a past food safety issue in October 2024, when the company voluntarily recalled raw onions that the FDA says were likely linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounder sandwiches and a bacterial E. coli outbreak.The outbreak ended in December 2024 and resulted in 104 confirmed illnesses, 34 hospitalizations, and 1 death across 14 states, according to the CDC.In a statement in December that year, McDonald's said the issue "had been fully contained -- and any contaminated product associated with this issue had been removed from our supply chain as of October 22, 2024."
