The Marzetti Company President and CEO Dave Ciesinski discusses how the cyclospora outbreak has affected the salad mixes and dressings business and inflation on ‘The Claman Countdown.’ The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Friday it has concluded its investigation into the Cyclospora outbreak associated with iceberg lettuce from Mexico, finding “strong” evidence linking the infections to recalled products from Taylor Farms of Mexico. The cyclosporiasis outbreak, one of the largest foodborne illness events in recent U.S. history, has been linked to more than 12,800 cases in 21 states and hundreds of hospitalizations. Two related deaths have been reported in Michigan, and both people had significant underlying health problems, according to health officials. The outbreak prompted a massive recall by Mexico’s Taylor Farms, which announced in July that it would voluntarily remove all iceberg lettuce from central Mexico from U.S. shelves. CHILE WITHDRAWN AFTER VIDEO CAPTURES WOMAN’S HORRIBLE DISCOVERY INSIDE JAR Packages of Taylor Farms salad greens are displayed at a Safeway store in Kings Beach, California, on July 16, 2026. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/Getty Images) Following the recall, the FDA began on-site inspections in Mexico. During its traceback investigation, the FDA said it identified several farms and a processing facility in Mexico that supplied the recalled shredded lettuce distributed by Taylor Fresh Foods. Two environmental samples tested positive for Cyclospora, according to the FDA. The agency said one positive sample came from a tank containing wastewater outgoing from the company’s processing facilities. The other was taken from a drainage ditch on an iceberg lettuce farm. Although the FDA said it could not determine how the contamination occurred, the agency said the data strongly suggested the outbreak was linked to lettuce from Taylor Farms of Mexico. POPULAR SOFT DRINK RECALL REACHES 77,000 CANS AFTER ZERO SUGAR LABELS FOUND ON SUGAR SODA A drone view shows fields near the facility of US supplier Taylor Farms. following the temporary closure announced by Taylor Farms, in Doctor Mora, Guanajuato state, Mexico, on July 24, 2026. (REUTERS/Daniel Becerril / Reuters) “While there is currently insufficient evidence to conclusively determine how contamination occurred in this outbreak, the positive samples show that Cyclospora was present in the environment where the lettuce was grown and processed,” the FDA said. “The independent producer where a positive sample was found is no longer part of our supplier program. The sample referenced by the FDA comes from wastewater and sewage discharged outside of our processing facilities,” the spokesperson said. “As the FDA noted in its report, there is currently not enough evidence to conclusively determine how this occurred or how the results from these samples relate to ongoing genotyping of clinical samples,” the spokesperson continued. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS WHERE The produce section of a Publix in Miami Beach, Florida. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images/Getty Images)FOX Business has reached out to Taylor Farms for comment. The FDA said it is confident that all iceberg lettuce recalled related to the outbreak is off the U.S. market. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) previously declared the outbreak over on September 11. asymptomatic, according to the CDC.
