Cyclosporiasis cases are on the rise; The investigation into the Taylor Farms product is ongoing
A recent sample of lettuce from Taylor Farms that tested positive for the cyclosporiasis parasite was false positive, state officials said, but there is still “a lot” of information to support the current recall of the California-based company’s product during this outbreak.
In X, the US Food and Drug Administration said, “To be clear, this false lab sample does not change the basis of the FDA’s ongoing investigation or the epidemiological data supporting the current voluntary recall by Taylor Farms.”
Over the weekend, the company, based in Salinas, said the FDA notified them that one of its iceberg lettuce products from central Mexico tested positive for cyclosporiasis, a parasite that can cause severe diarrhea in humans. On Sunday, the company was notified that the FDA had made a mistake, “and this was false,” the company said.
However, the FDA’s investigation of the traceability and data of the outbreak – that is linked to the discarded lettuce provided by Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia – continues to connect to the burned iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms locations in central Mexico.
The regulatory agency said it is continuing to work with Taylor Farms, which also operates as Taylor Fresh Foods, to ensure that “the product affected by this outbreak has been removed from the market.”
The FDA’s investigation focused on products from Taylor Farms de Mexico, however, none of the farm’s samples have come back positive for the cyclosporiasis parasite.
Taylor Farms is voluntarily recalling products
On Friday, the company voluntarily pulled its iceberg lettuce grown and processed at its central Mexico facility, Taylor Farms de Mexico, from the United States market.
“When the FDA identified a private farm, which represents less than 1% of US lettuce, as a possible source of contamination, we removed all iceberg lettuce from the region permanently,” the company said in a statement.
Iceberg product distributed in 27 states between June 29 and July 16.
The regions where the product is distributed are:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- In Florida
- Georgia
- Iowa
- Illinois
- In Indiana
- Kansas
- in Kentucky
- in Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Maryland
- In Michigan
- Missouri
- Mississippi
- North Carolina
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- In Ohio
- In Oklahoma
- in Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- In Wisconsin
Most of the company’s recalled products are items sold to restaurants and grocery stores, including chopped lettuce, shredded lettuce, iceberg and romaine lettuce mixes, and salad mixes.
Taylor Farms’ recall notice included two products available at Walmart locations:
- 12- and 24-ounce bagged iceberg salads are “best before” from July 18th through August 3rd.
- 8- and 16-ounce bags of canned lettuce with a “best by” date of July 18 through Aug. 3.
A complete list of recalled items can be found on the FDA website here and the Taylor Farms website here.
The latest in an outbreak of multi-state cyclosporiasis
Cyclosporiasis infection causes debilitating diarrhea, fatigue and loss of appetite with symptoms that last anywhere from a few days to a month or more without treatment.
The origin of the outbreak is in the state of Michigan, which continues to report cases. As of Monday, more than 6,000 people have contracted the disease and 102 people have been hospitalized.
The CDC has limited the outbreak to five states – Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.
California reported 41 cases of cyclosporiasis, between January and June, none linked to the current outbreak. Reported cases are less than the average of 100 cases reported annually in California.
Officials say the actual number of cases nationwide may be higher because some people recover without medical help and are not tested for the parasite.
