NEWS
FDA issues urgent food warning as Ohio cyclosporiasis cases triple
Kristen Jordan ShamusChad MurphyUSA TODAY NETWORK
July 17, 2026, 8:56 a.m. ET
- Taco Bell issued a statement on the evening of July 16, saying it will remove “potentially impacted lettuce” from its U.S. supply chain amid a growing outbreak of cyclosporiasis.
- The announcement comes as public health investigators work to identify the source of an outbreak of the parasitic gastrointestinal disease that’s sickened nearly 1,200 people in Ohio alone.
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned that shredded iceberg lettuce from Mexico served at Taco Bell in Ohio and 4 other states are likely tied to an escalating cyclosporiasis outbreak.
As cases of cyclosporiasis triple in Ohio, surging to nearly 1,200 cases in 70 counties, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an urgent update to its investigation of a widespread outbreak of cyclosporiasis late in the evening on Thursday, July 16
The FDA warns people in Ohio and four other states to avoid eating lettuce from Taco Bell restaurants
“Consumers should avoid eating shredded iceberg lettuce from Mexico at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia,” the FDA said on its website, adding that its search remains ongoing into potentiald 1,192 in Ohio, more than 4,000 people in Michigan — and thousands of others nationally
“Additional states may be added to this advisory as more information becomes available,” the FDA said. “Taco Bell is working to stop use of all lettuce implicated by this investigation. Not all Taco Bell locations in these states received implicated product.”
Public health investigators have epidemiologically tied infections in 1,644 people in those five states after exposure to food from Taco Bell, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is working in collaboration with the FDA and state and local health departments
Ohio man sues Taco Bell over cyclosporiasis illness
Latest on Ohio cyclosporiasis cases
As of July 16, the Ohio Department of Health reported 1,192 cases of cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal illness caused by a parasite known as cyclospora cayatenensis, in 70 counties so far in 2026, with 86 people hospitalized. That’s up from 364 cases in 51 counties as of July 9. All but nine of those cases occurred in June and July, mostly since June 20
The most cases in Ohio are in Lucas County in the northwest portion of the state, which reports 249, up from 86 the previous week. Wood County, just to the south of Lucas, reports 129 cases, up from 49
Only Michigan has more than Ohio, reporting more than 3,300 cases since June 22, the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported July 14. Nationwide, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed 1,645 cases of cyclosporiasis with another 5,100 additional cases being investigated
Investigation ties Taco Bell to cyclosporiasis outbreak
It was information from Michigan — an analysis of food exposure details from 190 people who reported eating at Taco Bell — that led to the identification of iceberg lettuce as the likely common source
“Ingredient level analyses on meals eaten by these cases indicate that 90% of those interviewed reported eating iceberg lettuce,” the FDA’s website says. “FDA’s traceback investigation has identified convergence on a single supplier of iceberg lettuce from Mexico used by Taco Bell locations where sick people ate before becoming ill
“FDA is working directly with the identified supplier to determine if potentially contaminated shredded iceberg lettuce remains on the market. As part of this investigation, FDA and state partners have initiated collection of product samples for testing and analysis. Additionally, FDA has increased screening at the border for products implicated in the outbreak.”
After already making menu adjustments amid the outbreak, Taco Bell announced earlier in the evening of July 16 that it is voluntarily removing “potentially impacted lettuce” from restaurants across its U.S. supply chain as public health investigators search for the4 states
In a statement, Taco Bell said:
“Based on ongoing conversations with public health officials, and out of an abundance of caution, Taco Bell has taken immediate action to voluntarily remove potentially impacted lettuce from a supplier in select states. The affected ingredient from our supplier is being indefinitely removed from our supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within 24 hours in select states
California‘s Taylor Farms may be
Citing unnamedarms of Salinas, California, supplied shredded iceberg lettuce to Taco Bell restaurants that may have sickened thousands of people in a cyclosporiasis outbreak in Michigan and three other states
NBC News, also using anonymous potential caused by the cyclospora parasite
Taylor Farms has production facilities across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and western Europe, according to its website. The company did not respond to a request for comment from the Detroit Free Press
Taylor Farms also was implicated in previous outbreaks of foodborne illness
McDonald’s said the company supplied onions to the fast-food chain in areas impacted by a 2024 E. coli outbreak that sickened 104 people in 14 states, including one death
Taylor Farms, and one of its farms in Mexico, also was linked to a 2013 cyclospora outbreak that sickened more than 240 people after its salad mix was served at Olive Garden and Red Lobster in Nebraska and Iowa.
USA Today’s Ken Alltucker, Mike Snider, Melina Khan and Sara Moniuszko contributed
Contact Kristen Shamus: kshamus@freepress.com. Subscribe to the Detroit Free Press
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