Taylor Farms Posts Full Recall List for Iceberg Lettuce Tied to Cyclospora Outbreak Topping 5,000 Cases

Since Taylor Farms confirmed Thursday, July 16 that it was working with federal regulators on a recall, the company has now released its full list of affected products, lot codes, and use-by dates, and expanded the pullback to cover all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico.

The recalled shredded iceberg product went out between June 29 and July 16 to 27 states, according to the company's recall notice: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin, according to the New York Post. California and New York were not on the list, CNBC reported.

"We are actively removing the implicated products," the company said in its recall notice, adding it has stopped receiving product from the implicated lot, suspended distribution of the central Mexico iceberg lettuce, and is continuing to work with the FDA, CDC, and state authorities.

The Numbers Behind the Recall

Taylor Farms itself says the FDA traceback points to "a specific independent farm that represents less than 1% of the U.S.'s iceberg lettuce supply," according to a company statement cited by CNBC. Despite that narrow pinpoint, the company chose to pull every bit of iceberg lettuce from the entire central Mexico region indefinitely. Whether that's smart risk management or an overcorrection driven by liability fears is a fair question, but it's the harder, more expensive choice, and it's the one Taylor Farms made.

The outbreak itself has grown fast. Michigan's health department alone has now logged more than 5,000 cyclosporiasis cases, including a single-day jump of 690, according to The Independent. Nationally, the CDC's most recent tally, cited by UNILAD, put confirmed cases tied to the Taco Bell cluster at 1,644 with 94 hospitalizations, while separately noting the broader 2026 cyclospora season has already produced 1,645 confirmed cases and 141 hospitalizations across 34 states, on pace to be the worst year on record. The CDC says it's investigating more than 5,100 additional illnesses that may or may not be linked to the same source, according to UNILAD.

Those numbers don't all measure the same thing, and readers should not conflate a state-level case count with the CDC's national confirmed-and-linked total. Michigan's 5,000-plus figure comes from its own health department's interview-based investigation of more than 1,000 people, not from the CDC's national outbreak surveillance.

Who's Named, Who Isn't

Taco Bell confirmed Thursday it completed removal of the affected Taylor Farms lettuce from its restaurants, according to the Post. Yum Brands, the chain's parent, has already taken a stock hit tied to the outbreak in prior weeks.

A source told Reuters, as reported by The Independent, that Taylor Farms called clients Thursday including Yum Brands and Sysco, the food distributor that supplies hospitals, ballparks and fast-food chains nationwide. That's a notable expansion of concern beyond fast food into institutional food service, though no illnesses have been tied to Sysco-distributed product in these reports.

Walmart posted a notice Saturday saying it pulled four bagged iceberg lettuce salad products from select stores as a precaution, according to CNBC. A Walmart spokesperson said there's "no indication that products sold in our stores are affected" and "no confirmed illnesses associated with these products at this time."

That distinction matters. Walmart is not confirming contamination, it's confirming caution. Conflating a precautionary pull with a confirmed contamination event would be sloppy, and to their credit, Walmart's own language avoids that trap.

Taylor Farms produce has been linked to prior outbreaks, including E. coli tied to slivered onions in 2024 and a separate cyclospora outbreak connected to lettuce back in 2013, according to CNN reporting cited by UNILAD. Two cyclospora outbreaks tied to the same company more than a decade apart is either bad luck twice, or a signal that oversight of Mexican-sourced produce imports needs a harder look. The FDA hasn't said which.

At least one lawsuit has already been filed. Attorneys representing a U.S. Army veteran from Ohio say he was hospitalized for two days after eating at a Youngstown Taco Bell in June, according to WAVE3 News, cited by UNILAD.

The FDA has said additional "brands, restaurants, retailers, or distribution channels" could still be identified as the traceback investigation continues. That means this recall list, as complete as it looks today, may not be the final one. Consumers with the recalled lot codes should check Taylor Farms' website directly and can reach the company's customer care line at 855-455-0098, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific.