FDA Admits Taylor Farms Lettuce Result Was a False Positive

Imagine being publicly blamed for an outbreak involving severe diarrhea, watching customers become afraid of your products and then learning that the laboratory result used against you was wrong. That is the situation Taylor Farms is dealing with after the Food and Drug Administration acknowledged that a sample of its iceberg lettuce was incorrectly reported as testing positive for Cyclospora. FDA laboratory experts reviewed the test again and determined that the finding did not represent a true positive. As of July 19, the agency said it had no confirmed positive product samples for the parasite. 

Taylor Farms said the FDA apologized for the mistake, but this story is a little more complicated than simply saying the company has been completely cleared. Before the incorrect laboratory result was announced, the FDA’s traceback investigation had already connected several illnesses to shredded iceberg lettuce served at certain Taco Bell locations. Investigators found that those restaurants received lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico, a facility in Guanajuato, Mexico. That traceback evidence is why federal officials are continuing to work with the company and collect additional samples, even though the original positive test has now been withdrawn. 

Taylor Farms voluntarily removed all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the United States market. The recall includes certain Marketside iceberg salad and shredded-lettuce products sold at Walmart, with affected best-by dates ranging from July 18 through August 3, 2026. Additional iceberg lettuce products supplied to restaurants and other food-service customers were also included. The recall remains in effect because the products may have been contaminated, and the FDA is still investigating the source of the illnesses. 

Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that causes an intestinal illness known as cyclosporiasis. The most common symptom is prolonged watery diarrhea, but infected people may also experience stomach cramps, bloating, gas, nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite and weight loss. Symptoms can begin days after exposure and may continue for weeks without treatment. Health officials advise anyone experiencing symptoms—especially after recently eating shredded iceberg lettuce—to contact a medical provider. 

Consumers should check their refrigerators for recalled Taylor Farms or Marketside iceberg-lettuce products and follow the instructions to throw them away or return them. Any surfaces, containers or refrigerator shelves that touched the lettuce should also be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. Washing the lettuce is not considered enough to make a recalled product safe.

The biggest issue here is how much damage can happen before incorrect information is corrected. Taylor Farms was tied to a disgusting and embarrassing headline before the laboratory finding had been fully verified. The FDA correcting the record is important, but an apology does not automatically repair the company’s reputation or restore consumer confidence overnight. At the same time, the false-positive result does not mean the illnesses were imaginary or that officials should stop investigating.

For now, Taylor Farms has received some vindication, but the larger outbreak remains unresolved. The laboratory evidence changed, while the traceback evidence and recall did not. Consumers should continue following the recall guidance as health officials work to determine exactly what caused people to become sick.