Federal officials reaffirm Taylor Farms lettuce linked to diarrhea outbreak
US health officials confirmed that iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms remains the likely source of a multi-state Cyclospora outbreak causing severe diarrhea.
Federal health officials on Monday reaffirmed that iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms is still considered the likely source of a Cyclospora outbreak sickened hundreds across multiple states. The parasite, Cyclospora cayetanensis, causes gastrointestinal illness.
The announcement aimed to clarify confusion stemming from a weekend report about a false positive test result by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Taylor Farms had publicly celebrated this test, which they believed cleared them, leading to public uncertainty. However, many details surrounding the outbreak and the company's involvement remain unclear due to limited public information provided by the company.
On Friday, the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had announced that their traceback investigations pointed towards Taylor Farms. Traceback investigations are a crucial part of foodborne illness outbreak response, meticulously tracking food products backward from affected consumers through the supply chain to their origin.
According to the FDA, these investigations repeatedly identified shredded iceberg lettuce grown in central Mexico and distributed by Taylor Farms, also operating as Taylor Fresh Foods. The company has faced scrutiny over its supply chain transparency in the past.