Taco Bell Lettuce Supplied by Taylor Farms Investigated as Source of US Cyclospora Outbreak Nationwide

Shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms and sold at select Taco Bell restaurants has been identified as a potential source of a growing multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis, according to multiple people familiar with the investigation, as case counts continue to climb across the country.

The link was first reported by The Washington Post on July 16, citing two people familiar with the ongoing investigation. CNN separately confirmed the connection through a source familiar with the matter. Neither the Food and Drug Administration nor the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has publicly confirmed Taylor Farms or Taco Bell as the source, and officials have continued to describe the link as a potential one rather than a confirmed cause.

The outbreak, caused by a microscopic parasite that leads to cyclosporiasis, has expanded rapidly since it began in May. According to CDC data published Tuesday, nearly 7,000 cases have been confirmed or are under investigation nationwide since May 1, with confirmed cases running more than six times higher than they were at the same point last year. At least 141 hospitalizations have been reported, though no deaths have been linked to the outbreak. Separate reporting has cited slightly different case tallies, with one count putting confirmed cases at 1,645 and more than 5,100 additional cases still under investigation, underscoring how quickly the numbers have been shifting as health officials continue gathering data.

While cases have been reported across the country, the outbreak connected to the lettuce is considered a regional cluster centered in the Midwest. The CDC has identified at least 400 cases tied specifically to this cluster across four states — Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky — corresponding to where the affected Taco Bell locations are believed to be located, according to a source who spoke with CNN. Officials cautioned that the lettuce supplied to those restaurants may have also been distributed to other locations beyond the four states currently linked to the cluster.

Michigan has emerged as the epicenter of the outbreak, with the state’s health department reporting more than 4,300 cyclospora cases as part of its investigation, a tally that exceeds the CDC’s own case count for the broader outbreak. State health officials said they had interviewed more than 1,000 people as part of their investigation and had previously flagged lettuce or salad greens as a potential source even before the specific link to Taylor Farms and Taco Bell was reported. The department acknowledged some uncertainty in attributing every illness to a single source, saying it could not say with certainty that every case was connected to the same exposure, but noted that the sharp, concentrated rise in cases strongly suggested that the vast majority of the illnesses stemmed from a shared outbreak. If confirmed, health officials said the cluster would represent the largest cyclospora outbreak recorded in the United States.

Taco Bell responded to the growing scrutiny with a statement Thursday, saying the company had taken proactive steps in response to conversations with public health officials. “Based on ongoing conversations with public health officials, and out of an abundance of caution, Taco Bell has taken immediate action to voluntarily remove potentially impacted lettuce from a supplier in select states,” the company said. The chain added that the ingredient in question was being permanently removed from its supply chain nationwide and would be replaced within 24 hours in the affected states. In an earlier statement issued Tuesday, a Taco Bell spokesperson said the company had voluntarily and temporarily removed limited ingredients from some restaurants as a precaution, while noting that public health officials had not at that point confirmed a link to Taco Bell or to any specific ingredient, supplier, restaurant or retailer.

Taylor Farms did not respond to requests for comment from multiple news outlets, including CNN and NBC News, regarding the investigation. Yum Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Cyclosporiasis is caused by consuming food or water contaminated with the cyclospora parasite and is not typically spread through direct person-to-person contact. The illness has previously been linked to fresh produce in past outbreaks, according to the CDC. Symptoms of the infection can include watery diarrhea, cramping, bloating, loss of appetite and low-grade fever, with symptoms sometimes persisting for weeks if untreated.

Federal health officials have said multiple investigations are currently underway related to the broader rise in cyclospora cases this year, including some tied to the large Midwest cluster, some limited to individual states, and others involving cases that have not yet been connected to any identified cluster. The CDC has also noted that case counts are likely to continue rising as more data comes in, citing a reporting lag of up to six weeks between when a person first becomes ill and when their case is officially reported to health authorities.

This is not the first time Taylor Farms has been connected to a foodborne illness investigation. The company was linked to a 2013 cyclosporiasis outbreak that sickened more than 600 people across roughly two dozen states, with many of those illnesses concentrated in Iowa and Nebraska among people who had eaten at other restaurant chains. That outbreak was eventually traced to a salad mix produced at a Taylor Farms processing facility in Mexico. The company has also been connected to a more recent E. coli outbreak tied to sliced onions in 2024.

Taylor Farms supplies grocery stores and restaurants across the country, and it remains unclear exactly how many of its products or locations may ultimately be tied to the current outbreak. Health officials have said the investigation remains active and that additional details, including formal confirmation of the outbreak’s source, are expected as testing and interviews continue in the coming days.