As an outbreak of a foodborne illness that causes "explosive diarrhea" spread across the United States in the summer of 2026, social media users claimed they may have identified its source: Taylor Farms, a well-known distributor of salad kits and fresh produce.
The rumor circulated on Threads, Reddit and X amid thousands of cases of cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness caused by a parasite called cyclospora that people can get from consuming food or water contaminated with feces. Many posts accurately noted that public health authorities had linked Taylor Farms to past foodborne illness outbreaks, including a 2013 cyclosporiasis outbreak in Iowa and Nebraska.
Mounting evidence indicated that Taylor Farms was, in fact, linked to the 2026 outbreak. Numerous credible news outlets, relying on anonymous sources, reported that investigators had tied the outbreak to Taylor Farms. However, as of this writing, authorities had not named the company as the target of its investigation.
The FDA said it linked the outbreak to a single supplier of shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell in five states: Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. It did not name that supplier.
Snopes has a high bar for rating claims that relies on primary evidence and independent verification. Until we receive definitive documentation, clarification from public health authorities or credible information identifying the anonymous sources in news reports, we cannot rate this claim.
In a statement, Taylor Farms did not admit fault but said it was voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market:
Based on information provided yesterday by the FDA, Taylor Farms de Mexico is voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market. While the FDA traceback is indicating a specific independent farm, which represents less than 1% of the U.S.'s iceberg lettuce supply, as the potential source of the outbreak, we have removed all iceberg lettuce from the region indefinitely. No other Taylor Fresh Foods products across the country are impacted. No Taylor Farms branded salad kits contain iceberg lettuce.
As a family owned and operated company, we are deeply concerned for those who became ill, their families, and the many Americans whose trust in the safety of their fresh produce has been shaken. That trust is something we've worked for decades to earn, and we are committed to doing everything in our power to restore that confidence. We will provide continuous updates as new information emerges.
Taylor Farms also released a similar statement on its website. As the company noted, there were no active recalls for the company's direct-to-consumer products as of this writing.
News reports from 2006 stated Taco Bell switched to using Taylor Farms as its produce supplier following an E. coli outbreak. The fast-food chain did not answer a question about whether it still sources from the fresh-cut fruit and vegetable company as of 2026.
"Public health officials have not confirmed a link to Taco Bell or any specific ingredient, supplier, restaurant or retailer," Taco Bell said in an emailed statement from July 15, before the Post's exclusive story. "While authorities continue their broader review, Taco Bell has voluntarily and temporarily removed limited ingredients at select restaurants as a precautionary measure."
There are usually cyclosporiasis cases every year in the United States, largely in the summer. However, the numbers are far higher in 2026, with much of the outbreak centered in Michigan. Michigan's department of health directed all questions to the Food and Drug Administration, which it said is leading the investigation into the outbreak.
The FDA and the CDC did not reply to questions about whether authorities were investigating Taylor Farms as a possible source for the outbreak, instead pointing Snopes to the public notices. Snopes previously reported that in 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration cut the CDC's surveillance of cyclospora.
Here's what we know:
Washington Post breaks news
As rumors about Taylor Farms spread online, The Washington Post published an exclusive report on July 16 that, according to anonymous sources, investigators identified shredded iceberg lettuce supplied to Taco Bell by Taylor Farms as a potential source of contamination that led to the cyclosporiasis outbreak.
Here's how the Washington Post's July 16 story, initially headlined "Lettuce supplier identified as potential source of cyclosporiasis outbreak," originally began:
The Post's story, which other reputable news outlets later corroborated, followed a July 14 report from the Post that similarly cited two anonymous sources who said investigators were looking into Taco Bell as a potential source of the outbreak.
Lena Sun, the Post's primary journalist on the two stories, would not share her sources. However, she said in an email that the sources for the July 16 report were "different and even more authoritative" than the people she spoke to for the July 14 story.
No definitive official announcement on Taylor Farms
Here's how the FDA framed the investigation into Taco Bell in its notice, without naming any one supplier (emphasis ours):
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.
FDA is also working with Taco Bell and they have committed to stop using any lettuce from the supplier identified by FDA's traceback investigation.
FDA and state partners are actively investigating the source and scope of the contamination. Because the investigation remains ongoing, additional implicated brands, restaurants, retailers, or distribution channels may be identified as the investigation continues. This advisory will be updated promptly as new information becomes available.
According the notice, "a total of 1,644 people infected with Cyclospora and reporting exposure to Taco Bell have been reported by five states." Michigan officials shared food exposure details from 190 cases that reported eating Taco Bell and 90% of them reported eating iceberg lettuce, the notice said. A search of the FDA's recalls list returned no recalls for Taylor Farms in 2026. The CDC's official health advisory on the cyclosporiasis outbreak made no mention of Taylor Farms.
According to a 2025 report from Taylor Farms, the company makes two of every five ready-to-eat salads in the United States, amounting to over 265 million servings across North America every week (see Page 4). For reference, Michigan has reported 4,312 cases of cyclosporiasis as of July 16; the CDC said on July 14 that it had confirmed 1,645 cases and was aware of 5,100 more cases that needed further analysis.
Past illness outbreaks linked to Taylor Farms
Examples of past foodborne illness cases linked to Taylor Farms include an E. coli outbreak in 2024, possible listeria contamination in 2017 and a 2013 cyclosporiasis outbreak in Iowa and Nebraska.
The FDA traced the 2013 outbreak to bagged salad mix sold to restaurants, the contents of which were largely grown for Taylor Farms de Mexico on multiple ranches in Guanajuato, Mexico.
It is unclear whether Taylor Farms experiences more recalls simply because of its sheer size or whether its facilities are experiencing persistent issues; a Google search returned little to no investigative journalism about any recall patterns at Taylor Farms. In a 2013 New York Times article about frequent recalls at Taylor Farms, the company said many of the recalls were prompted by the company's own food-safety regimen.
CBS News reported in 2025 that according to documents obtained through a public records request, the FDA found dozens of food-safety violations at a Taylor Farms food production facility in Colorado linked to the 2024 E. coli outbreak.
The company has 22 production locations across the United States, Mexico and Canada (see Page 18 of its 2025 report).