OMM Newsroom
US health authorities on Sept. 11 declared the largest multistate cyclospora outbreak in the country’s history over. The outbreak was linked to contaminated iceberg lettuce supplied from central Mexico.
Federal investigators linked the product to Taylor Farms. The incident prompted one of the largest food recalls in recent years and renewed scrutiny of controls on imported agricultural products.
Scale of the outbreak
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 12,883 people in 21 states became ill after consuming the contaminated lettuce. Of them, 570 were hospitalized and two died.
These cases account for more than half of the 19,595 cyclospora infections confirmed in the United States since May 1. At the peak of the outbreak, before the recall, more than 1,000 infections were recorded in a single day. By August, the average number of daily infections had fallen below two.
FDA continues investigation
The Food and Drug Administration said it was confident that all recalled iceberg lettuce linked to the outbreak had been removed from the market. The expiration dates of the products associated with the outbreak had also passed, and the lettuce was no longer available in stores or restaurants.
Taylor Farms recalled all iceberg lettuce supplied from central Mexico on July 17. The FDA conducted on-site inspections at lettuce farms and a processing facility in Mexico and collected samples. Analysis of the samples has not yet been completed.
A Taylor Farms representative said the facility in central Mexico would remain closed until investigations by the FDA, company employees and independent experts were complete.
Consumer behavior changes
The outbreak also affected consumer confidence. Some buyers avoided raw fruits and vegetables, as well as eating at restaurants. This led to lower customer traffic at restaurant chains including Taco Bell, Sweetgreen and Chipotle.
Donald Schaffner, a food science professor at Rutgers University, said better tools for tracking strains and sustained funding for parasite research were needed to prevent similar outbreaks in the future.
In Michigan, the state hardest hit by the outbreak, federal and local health officials reported more than 14,000 parasite-related cases and two deaths. Thousands of infections linked to contaminated Taylor Farms lettuce were also identified in Ohio and Missouri.
Part of Michigan’s high figures was attributed to numerous delayed reports processed in August. Before 2026, the largest cyclospora season in the United States was recorded in 2019, when approximately 4,700 cases were documented nationwide.
Cyclospora is a parasite that causes an intestinal infection known as cyclosporiasis. Symptoms can include prolonged watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea and fatigue. The parasite is typically transmitted through food or water contaminated with fecal matter, which is why public health investigations focus on tracing produce from farms and processing facilities through the distribution chain.
