The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated its claim regarding a Taco Bell lettuce supplier and test results as Americans have been hit with illness.
The agency rechecked a lettuce sample and found the vegetable did not have traces of the parasite known as cyclospora, which can cause illness with symptoms including diarrhea, the New York Post reported Sunday.
“FDA is providing an update regarding the sample of lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico which was reported positive on July 18, 2026,” the agency’s website reads:
Due to the complexity in detection of Cyclospora, FDA laboratory experts re-reviewed the sample results and have concluded that the finding does not represent true amplification and should be considered a false positive. Information about the sample has been removed from the July 18, 2026, update below. FDA has notified Taylor Farms and continues working with the firm to ensure product implicated in this outbreak has been removed from the market. FDA and state partners continue to collect and analyze product samples. As of July 19, 2026, there are no confirmed positive sample results for product testing for Cyclospora.
Also as of July 19, however, the FDA still advised, “Do not eat recalled iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico. FDA’s investigation is ongoing.”
Breitbart News initially reported Tuesday that Michigan health officials said lettuce or salad greens may be the source of an illness linked to “explosive” diarrhea hitting thousands of Americans.
Per the Post, the FDA apologized to Taylor Farms, the parent company of Taylor Farms de Mexico, regarding the false positive test result and admitted the mistake.
“The false alarm retracts the FDA’s Friday announcement, which linked the outbreak of the debilitating ‘explosive diarrhea’ parasite to the Taylor Fresh Farm’s subsidiary,” the Post article stated, adding officials initially said the contaminated lettuce was grown in Mexico before being transported to Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.
“Cyclosporiasis, the disease caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora, has ravaged the bowels of over 1,600 Americans in 34 states, according to the CDC,” the Post article said.
Meanwhile, some Democrats have tried to blame President Donald Trump for the illness outbreak, according to Breitbart News.
The lettuce was recalled in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin, the FDA said.
