The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported Thursday that a recall of iceberg lettuce linked to a cyclosporiasis outbreak has expanded to nine additional jurisdictions. The agency stated that products from a Taylor Farms facility in Mexico may have been distributed in California, Delaware, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
Cyclosporiasis is an illness caused by the Cyclospora parasite, typically through the consumption of contaminated food or water. The current outbreak was initially linked to lettuce distributed at retail stores and restaurants in nearly three dozen states between late June and July. Health officials in Michigan previously reported that some infections were associated with eating at Taco Bell, which has since removed the lettuce from its menu.
According to the FDA, there are currently 10,930 confirmed illnesses across 17 states directly tied to this specific multi-state outbreak. However, broader data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows more than 27,000 total cases reported across more than 40 states. In Michigan, the most affected state, officials have recorded 14,277 cases, 335 hospitalizations, and two deaths.
For a person who consumed the contaminated lettuce, the primary change would be the onset of gastrointestinal illness, which state officials in Michigan have already linked to two fatalities. While the FDA noted that affected products should no longer be for sale because their "best-by" dates have passed, the delay in distribution reporting means individuals in the nine newly identified areas may only now be identifying the source of previous illnesses. Consumers in these regions, including federal workers in D.C. and residents of Puerto Rico, are now included in the official investigation area.
The incident sets a precedent for supply chain monitoring between Mexican production facilities and U.S. distribution networks. Beyond the Taylor Farms investigation, the FDA is monitoring other cyclosporiasis outbreaks of unknown origin, including one that grew from 172 to 201 cases recently. What happens next involves continued surveillance by the CDC and FDA; while the immediate physical product is off shelves, the final case count and the results of the investigation into the facility in central Mexico are still pending.