Cyclospora Outbreak Investigation
FDA finds Cyclospora parasite at Mexican facilities linked to massive lettuce outbreak.
Anonymous
The FDA has closed its investigation into the Cyclospora outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico, which sickened nearly 13,000 people, hospitalized 570 and killed two across 21 states. Inspectors found the parasite in wastewater at the company’s processing facility and in a drainage ditch at a lettuce supplier, adding evidence that the recalled lettuce was linked to the outbreak. The agency said it could not determine how contamination occurred; Mexico’s food safety authority reported finding no Cyclospora in its own testing, and the FDA had earlier retracted a faulty positive lettuce test.
Key Points
1
The FDA and CDC first linked the outbreak to the Mexican processing facility after Michigan officials interviewed hundreds of people who became ill and reviewed Taco Bell supply-chain records.
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The FDA said it had completed genotyping the two positive environmental samples and was analyzing how they compare with genotyping of clinical specimens.
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The FDA’s visit to the farm was its first there in more than seven years, following a steep decline in international food-safety inspections after the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The FDA outlined a 10-point prevention plan that includes increased monitoring of high-risk produce and more engagement with growers, and said it would issue a full outbreak report with recommendations before 2027.
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