Taylor Farms has removed all iceberg lettuce sourced from Central Mexico from its supply chain, according to a statement released Friday, July 17th. The company said it is deeply concerned for those who became ill and acknowledged that the move came in response to information provided during the ongoing Cyclospora investigation. This is a concrete, significant escalation from the supplier most directly implicated in the outbreak.
This is the clearest industry action yet in the multistate Cyclospora outbreak that has affected hundreds of people across at least 17 states. The outbreak was previously linked to shredded iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. Taylor Farms is one of the largest fresh-cut produce processors in North America, making this removal a major supply chain event — not just a PR response.
Watch for downstream effects on iceberg availability and foodservice supply over the next several weeks. Buyers and category managers sourcing iceberg lettuce should be actively verifying origin with their suppliers right now, as additional removals or restrictions from other processors could follow.