FDA Still Points to Lettuce Supplier as Source of Parasite Outbreak

Federal health officials say they still believe shredded lettuce from a company called Taylor Farms caused a major outbreak of a stomach illness across the United States. The illness is caused by a tiny parasite called cyclospora, which can make people very sick. Officials made this announcement on Monday after a confusing weekend in which a laboratory test gave a wrong result. Even though that test turned out to be a mistake, investigators say they have not changed their focus on Taylor Farms.

The Food and Drug Administration, known as the FDA, said a lab test incorrectly showed that a lettuce sample from Taylor Farms had cyclospora in it. The FDA posted that finding on its website on Saturday. But by Sunday, the agency said the result was a 'false positive,' meaning the test was wrong and the sample may not have actually been contaminated. FDA officials said they felt they had to share the information with the public as soon as they saw it, even before they could double-check it.

After the mistake was discovered, Taylor Farms posted about it on social media. The company said the 'FDA apologized to us.' However, FDA officials said that was not true and that no official apology was given. This back-and-forth added to the confusion around the outbreak, which had already worried many people across the country.

The outbreak was first linked to lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in five states. On Saturday, Taylor Farms announced it was recalling 25 products — including shredded lettuce and salad mixes — sold under eight different brand names. These products were used by many food companies and restaurants across the United States. A recall means the products were pulled from shelves and people were told not to eat them.

Donald Prater, the FDA's acting food chief, told reporters that investigators are still focused on shredded iceberg lettuce grown at Taylor Farms locations in central Mexico. FDA workers have also started testing fruits and vegetables coming across the U.S. border to look for signs of the parasite. Investigators are using multiple methods to track where the contaminated food came from and how it spread.

Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite, which means it is far too small to see with the naked eye. It gets into food when produce — like lettuce — is irrigated or washed with water that has been contaminated by human feces. When a person eats food with the parasite, it causes an intestinal illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, says the illness can cause 'frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,' along with other painful symptoms.

In 2026, cyclospora has made at least 1,645 people in the United States sick and sent 141 people to the hospital. Health officials are currently looking into five separate groups of illness cases, and the Taylor Farms outbreak is one of them. Kyle Diamantas, the FDA's acting commissioner, said new cases connected to this outbreak were still being reported as recently as last week. He said it was very important for the government to act quickly so that no more contaminated food reaches stores or restaurants.

One major challenge for investigators is that it is very hard to directly connect recalled food to a specific outbreak. Some common tests used to find food poisoning germs are not designed to detect cyclospora. Scientists also cannot grow the parasite in a laboratory, which makes it difficult to gather solid proof from contaminated produce. Instead, investigators look at patterns — such as what sick people ate, where they live, and when they got sick — to figure out the source of the outbreak.