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FDA testing found Cyclospora in wastewater at Taylor Farms de Mexico’s lettuce processing facility and in a drainage ditch at a contract grower’s farm. The findings support the link between recalled shredded iceberg lettuce and an outbreak that sickened 12,883 people, but the FDA says it cannot yet determine how contamination occurred.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration found Cyclospora in two environmental samples from sites connected to Taylor Farms’ Central Mexico lettuce operation, adding evidence to the investigation of a summer outbreak linked to its shredded iceberg lettuce. The outbreak sickened 12,883 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but the FDA says it still lacks enough evidence to determine how contamination occurred.
One positive sample came from a tank holding outgoing wastewater at the Taylor Farms de Mexico processing facility. The other was collected from a drainage ditch at an iceberg lettuce grower’s farm identified during the FDA’s traceback investigation. The agency collected samples of water, soil, sediment and lettuce during inspections at multiple growing sites and the processing facility, working with Mexican officials.
The CDC counted 570 hospitalizations and two deaths in the outbreak and reported on September 11 that it had ended. The FDA’s findings were announced October 2, following reports that Taylor Farms called the White House about the recall. The agency said both positive samples have been genotyped, but it is still comparing those results with ongoing genetic analysis of samples from outbreak patients.
In July, investigators began linking illnesses to iceberg lettuce after people who ate at Taco Bell restaurants reported becoming sick. The chain’s affected menu items contained lettuce sourced from Taylor Farms. The FDA’s traceback work identified several farms and a Mexican processing facility that supplied recalled lettuce distributed by Taylor Fresh Foods.
Evidence From Lettuce Production Sites
The positive samples matter because they show that Cyclospora was present in the environment at locations where lettuce was grown or processed in the supply chain under investigation. Combined with the outbreak’s epidemiological evidence and traceback findings, the results add support to the link between illnesses and recalled shredded iceberg lettuce from the Taylor Farms operation.
That evidence does not establish the precise route by which the parasite reached food or prove that either positive environmental sample directly contaminated lettuce eaten by patients. The distinction matters for public health and food safety: identifying where a hazard is found can guide investigation and corrective action, while establishing the contamination pathway requires further evidence.
The outbreak’s reported scale also gives the findings broader relevance for consumers and food businesses that depend on complex produce supply chains. The CDC’s count of 12,883 illnesses and 570 hospitalizations describes the reported outbreak burden; the new environmental results add information about sites connected to the investigation, not a new count of illnesses.
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How Investigators Traced the Lettuce
The outbreak investigation first focused on people who became ill after eating at Taco Bell restaurants. According to the source report, affected meals included lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms. The FDA then traced the recalled product through farms and a processing facility in Mexico connected to lettuce distributed by Taylor Fresh Foods.
During onsite inspections, the FDA gathered environmental and lettuce samples at multiple iceberg lettuce growing operations and at the processing facility, coordinating with Mexican authorities. The two positive findings were from wastewater and a drainage ditch—not, according to the reported results, from a sample of lettuce itself. The agency described those findings as evidence of Cyclospora in the growing and processing environment.
The CDC said the outbreak had ended on September 11, before the FDA announced the environmental test results on October 2. The new results therefore add to the investigation’s account of the outbreak; they do not, by themselves, announce a new outbreak or establish that current lettuce products are contaminated.
“There is currently not enough evidence to conclusively determine how contamination occurred in the outbreak.”
— The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Contamination Route Still Unknown
The FDA said it cannot yet conclusively determine how the lettuce became contaminated. Although the two positive samples have been genotyped, the agency is continuing to assess how their results compare with genetic testing of samples from outbreak patients. The available report does not provide those comparison results.
The reported positive samples came from a wastewater tank and a farm drainage ditch. The source material does not say that Cyclospora was detected in a tested lettuce sample, nor does it establish whether either environmental location was the direct source of contamination in food consumed by patients. The precise timing and pathway remain unresolved.
The source report also does not provide detailed information about the company’s enhanced safety protocols, the duration of the facility closure, or whether and when the facility might resume operations. Taylor Fresh Foods said the independent grower where the positive sample was found is no longer part of its supplier program; the account does not specify when that change took effect.
Genetic Analysis and Facility Status
The FDA’s next reported investigative step is to continue comparing the genotypes from the two environmental samples with those from outbreak patients. Those results could help clarify whether the samples are related to the illnesses, though the source material does not give a timeline for completing the analysis or say what conclusions it may support.
Taylor Fresh Foods said its Central Mexico facility remains closed while it works with its research team on enhanced safety protocols. The company has not provided, in the cited report, a reopening date or further detail on those measures. The grower where the second positive sample was collected is no longer in the company’s supplier program, according to the spokesperson’s account.
The CDC had already reported the outbreak ended on September 11. Readers should distinguish that status from the continuing investigation: the positive environmental findings add evidence about the sites examined, while the cause of contamination and the final comparison of genetic results remain open questions.
Key Questions
Where did the FDA find Cyclospora?
FDA testing found it in a tank holding outgoing wastewater at Taylor Farms de Mexico’s processing facility and in a drainage ditch at an iceberg lettuce grower’s farm identified in the traceback investigation.
Was Cyclospora found in the lettuce itself?
The reported positive results were from wastewater and a farm drainage ditch. The source material does not report a positive lettuce sample from these inspections.
How large was the outbreak?
The CDC counted 12,883 people sickened, 570 hospitalizations and two deaths. It reported on September 11 that the outbreak had ended.
Has the FDA determined how the lettuce was contaminated?
No. The FDA said there is not enough evidence to conclusively determine how contamination occurred. It is still comparing the genotypes of the environmental samples with those from outbreak patients.
What has Taylor Fresh Foods said about the facility?
A company spokesperson told ABC News that the Central Mexico facility remains closed while the company works on enhanced safety protocols. The spokesperson also said the independent grower linked to the positive sample is no longer part of the supplier program.
Source: rss
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