A stomach parasite that causes explosive diarrhea has been confirmed in Taylor Farms lettuce sold across 27 states, sickening more than 1,600 Americans and hospitalizing over 140 — and a new positive test on product outside the current recall means the problem is almost certainly bigger than regulators are admitting.
The outbreak matters because the same federal agency tasked with keeping feces off your salad plate has been busy chasing climate regulations and rebranding for inclusivity while corporate agriculture ships contaminated produce from Mexican facilities straight into American kitchens. The CDC reports at least 1,645 confirmed cases nationwide, with Michigan alone logging more than 5,000. This time last year, the entire country had 249 cases. Something broke, and nobody in Washington wants to say what.
The FDA confirmed Saturday that a sample of shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico — collected through targeted import surveillance — tested positive for cyclospora, a microscopic parasite that infects produce when it contacts human feces, typically through contaminated irrigation or wash water. The infected product was not part of Taylor Farms' existing recall. The agency said the positive lot has been detained and the company is working to determine whether any remains in consumers' homes.
Taylor Farms has expanded its voluntary recall to cover Marketside-brand bags of iceberg salad and shredded lettuce sold at Walmart, along with 25 shredded lettuce and salad mix products distributed under at least eight brand codes across 27 states. Taco Bell has pulled lettuce from restaurants in five states. Sysco, the nation's largest food distributor, has halted all distribution of Taylor Farms' Mexican-sourced iceberg lettuce.
But the recall is already showing cracks. The Guardian reported that Taylor Farms named 27 states and lot codes but declined to specify the brand names or retail locations — a move that will
