FDA says false positive doesn't change focus on Taylor Farms lettuce in US cyclospora outbreak

Published 21 July 2026 · us

US health officials on Monday (local time) revealed that they continue to focus on lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms as the primary source of the

US health officials on Monday (local time) revealed that they continue to focus on lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms as the primary source of the multistate diarrhoea-causing cyclosporasis parasite despite inaccurate results of a lab test released by the US government over the weekend. Officials of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revealed on Monday that a positive result for cyclospora on a Taylor Farms' lettuce sample was incorrectly identified. The findings were posted by the FDA on its website on Saturday, but on Sunday it revealed that the result had been a false positive, Associated Press reported. Both federal as well as state authorities have been investigating a rise in cyclosporasis cases connected with the parasite, and had initially linked the outbreak across five states to lettuce being supplied to Taco Bell locations. Taylor Farms, on Saturday, announced that it was recalling 25 shredded lettuce as well as salad mix products which they were selling under eight different brand codes.

These products were being used by a number of US food chains and suppliers. “FDA’s traceback investigation and the outbreak data continue to converge on shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms’ locations in central Mexico,” Donald Prater, the acting food chief of the FDA, told reporters on Monday, as per AP. Besides tracing the lettuce supply chain within the country, the FDA has also begun testing samples of lettuce which are coming into the US from across the border. On Monday, FDA officials said that the false positive result came from a rapid test used to screen for traces of cyclospora. Although the sample tested positive for the parasite initially, it was revealed that it was not part of the lettuce that the company had recalled. The subsequent quality control check revealed that the positive finding was an error, which the FDA officials then revealed to Taylor Farms.

The company touted the updated test results on social media and claimed “FDA apologized to us.” Agency officials told the Associated Press there was no official apology. Also Read | Cyclosporiasis: Taco Bell removes some ingredients as precautionary measure 1645 individuals sickened in outbreak Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite which infects food that has come into contact with human feces, which most commonly happens when the produce is washed with water that is contaminated. Once ingested, these parasites caused intestinal illness which is marked by “frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” as per the CDC. In the 2026 cyclospora outbreak, around 1645 people have fallen sick in the US while 141 were hospitalised, the FDA and the CDC reported. Five separate clusters of illnesses, including the one traced to Taylor Farms, are being investigated by the agencies. Kyle Diamantas, FDA's acting commissioner, said health officials continue to see new cases associated with the outbreak.