California Lettuce Supplier Suspected as Source of Cyclosporiasis Outbreak in the US

Los Angeles (ANTARA) - A California lettuce supplier for fast-food giant Taco Bell is being investigated as the potential source of a cyclosporiasis outbreak sweeping across parts of the United States, multiple news outlets reported on Thursday.

Two individuals familiar with the investigation told the Washington Post that investigators have identified sliced iceberg lettuce supplied to Taco Bell restaurants by Taylor Farms as the potential source of contamination in the parasitic disease outbreak.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials said this week they have identified a possible link between cases in four states: Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky. This marks the agency’s clearest public indication to date that many of the illnesses are connected to a single source.

“The indication we have is that a very high percentage of people who fell ill ate at Taco Bell, and when investigators asked about common menu items they ordered, many mentioned lettuce,” the report stated, quoting one of the individuals.

A source familiar with the investigation told CBS News that traceback efforts by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicate those infected with cyclosporiasis consumed lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms to Taco Bell outlets in five states.

Taylor Farms, based in Salinas, California, is a supplier to several major restaurant chains across the country, the report added.

Earlier this week, the CDC said reports of cyclosporiasis are rising sharply in the US, as state and local health systems record far more cases than those tallied at the federal level, with many cases still pending analysis.

The agency said on Tuesday it had received 1,645 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis across 34 states since May 1, 2026, resulting in 141 hospitalisations and no deaths, alongside more than 5,100 reports still requiring analysis before they can be classified as domestically acquired infections.