FDA: Don’t eat recalled lettuce from Mexico, but …

The Food and Drug Administration on Sunday told Americans not to eat recalled lettuce from Taylor Farms in Mexico, but added that the investigation of the cyclospora outbreak in five states has not determined what has caused thousands of people to experience explosive diarrhea.

In an advisory Sunday, FDA said, “Do not eat recalled iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico. FDA’s investigation is ongoing.” But the agency added that “due to the complexity in detection of cyclospora,” FDA laboratory experts re-reviewed the sample results of lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico which was reported positive on July 18 and concluded “that the finding does not represent true amplification and should be considered a false positive.”

FDA added that it “has notified Taylor Farms and continues working with the firm to ensure product implicated in this outbreak has been removed from the market. FDA and state partners continue to collect and analyze product samples. As of July 19, 2026, there are no confirmed positive sample results for product testing for cyclospora.”

The FDA statement “does not mean they are walking it back,” Susan Mayne, a former head of the FDA’s Center on Food Safety that oversees outbreak investigations, told The Washington Post in a text message today. “Absence of evidence (of a positive test result) is never evidence of absence.”

On Friday, Taylor Farms de Mexico of Guanajuato, Mexico, announced that it is voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market. Taylor Fresh Foods’ recall notice included Marketside-brand iceberg and shredded lettuce products available at Walmart, the FDA noted.

A complete list of affected products distributed to Taylor Fresh Foods food service customers including lot codes, use-by dates, and instructions for returning or disposing of the affected product is available on the company’s recall notice.

The International Fresh Produce Association told The Hagstrom Report in an email late Sunday, “Our first concern is for those affected by this cyclospora outbreak, and we all want to find its root cause. The International Fresh Produce Association is committed to bringing the produce supply chain together with regulators and policymakers to learn and adapt from experience. Collectively, we want to reduce the odds of future food safety incidents, respond as quickly as possible if they occur, and minimize their impact on consumers. We will continue to monitor the rapidly evolving situation and work with all stakeholders to facilitate solutions.”