US health authorities have identified shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia as a source of a widespread outbreak of cyclospora, a parasite causing diarrhoea. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a consumer warning on Thursday, July 17, 2026, advising against eating this lettuce.

The CDC has linked 1,645 cases to the Taco Bell outbreak so far, with Michigan reporting particularly high numbers around 5,000 infections. More than 2,000 additional probable and suspected cases have been reported in other states, and in North Carolina, where the outbreak has surpassed 300 cases, authorities noted parsley, coriander, and lettuce as commonly consumed foods before illness.

A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation identified a single supplier of iceberg lettuce from Mexico as the likely contamination source. While federal warnings did not name the company, Taylor Fresh Foods of Salinas, California, stated that FDA testing pointed to "a specific independent farm" in Mexico affiliated with the company. Taylor Farms, linked to previous foodborne outbreaks, announced on July 18, 2026, it was voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the US market.

Symptoms of cyclospora infection include frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements. Experts caution that not every illness in the record number of cases reported across more than 30 US states is likely caused by a single source.

Analyst Ari Felhandler of Morningstar commented that the outbreak will "likely dent (Taco Bell's) near-term same-store sales growth." Taco Bell has confirmed it removed the implicated lettuce from its restaurants.

Sources