CDC links cyclosporiasis outbreak to Mexican lettuce supplier serving Taco Bell

On Thursday, federal health officials announced that a parasitic outbreak sickening more than 1,600 people across five American states had been traced to a single source: shredded lettuce from a Mexican supplier that moved through the U.S. food system to Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. The culprit was cyclosporiasis, a diarrhea-causing parasite that spreads through contaminated produce, typically when fruits or vegetables have been irrigated with feces-tainted water. The CDC issued a public warning against consuming the lettuce in those regions, though it did not name the Mexican supplier directly.

The investigation quickly identified Taylor Farms, a California-based distributor in Salinas, as the U.S. middleman in the chain. According to government officials who spoke to news organizations on condition of anonymity, the company received the contaminated lettuce from Mexico and sent it onward to Taco Bell locations. The FDA announced it was working with the identified supplier to determine whether any of the tainted product remained on store shelves. Taco Bell, for its part, said it had voluntarily removed the affected lettuce from select restaurants as a precautionary step. Neither Taylor Farms nor Taco Bell responded to requests for comment by publication time.

Cyclosporiasis is a microscopic, spherical parasite that thrives in warm weather and infects the intestines, causing what the CDC describes as watery diarrhea with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements. The illness is not usually life-threatening and typically responds to antibiotics, but it can be debilitating while active. Outbreaks tend to spike in late spring and summer, and they have become more common in the United States over the past decade, with particularly severe waves in 2018 and 2019. For years, many cases went unlinked to any specific food source, making the parasite harder to track than more familiar foodborne pathogens like salmonella or E. coli.

Federal health officials emphasized that the investigation was ongoing and that other food brands, restaurants, retailers, or distribution channels could still be identified as sources. Wendy's and Chipotle both confirmed they were not affected by this outbreak. More than 30 states have reported cyclosporiasis infections this year, though not all are connected to the current Taco Bell-linked cases. The broader picture suggests the parasite is circulating more widely than this single outbreak, with seasonal upticks expected as summer progresses.

Canada has been monitoring the situation closely. Quebec reported 107 cases of cyclosporiasis since mid-July, a significant jump compared to 30 cases during the same period in 2025, though provincial health officials stressed the numbers remain far smaller than Michigan's outbreak. Most Quebec cases were linked to travel to Mexico rather than to the U.S. outbreak, with fewer than five cases reporting travel to the United States. British Columbia has recorded 93 cases this year, but health officials there noted that cyclosporiasis cases appear annually in the province and are typically associated with travel or consumption of contaminated imported produce during spring and summer months. Alberta confirmed six cases, with the majority tied to travel to Mexico. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said it is not considering restrictions on fresh produce imports from the United States at this time, suggesting confidence that the contamination was isolated to a specific supplier rather than systemic.