Health · Cyclosporiasis outbreak15,716 Sick, 73% Price Crash — Mexican Lettuce Crushes U.S. FarmsAired August 22, 2026 at 8:40 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00More than 10,000 people sick from0:01shredded iceberg lettuce. It is the0:03largest Cyclospora Isis outbreak ever0:05recorded in the United States with two0:07deaths confirmed and it is wiping out0:09profits in California fields that never0:11grew the lettuce at all. How did lettuce0:13from Central Mexico moving through a0:15Salinas giant force American farmers to0:17plow safe harvests into the ground? The0:20gap explains [music] the headline.0:22As of August 18th, national surveillance0:24counts 15,716 [music]0:27laboratory confirmed cases since May 1st0:29across 47 states plus [music] DC and0:31Puerto Rico with 828 hospitalizations.0:34Investigators link 10,930 [music]0:37of those cases across 17 states0:38specifically to shredded iceberg lettuce0:40from Taylor Farms de Mexico [music]0:42with 454 hospitalizations and the same0:45two deaths. The rest are other0:47concurrent clusters. [music]0:48Five separate clusters are under federal0:50investigation and another 11,841 cases0:53are still under investigation0:54nationally. Genotyping shows [music]0:56related Cyclospora parasites consistent0:58with a common source. The true count is1:00higher because many cases go untested1:02and diagnosis lags about 6 weeks. Those1:0417 states are Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois,1:07Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky,1:09Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan,1:11Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North1:12Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania,1:15and West Virginia including residents of1:17other states exposed while traveling1:18there. Most people got sick before the1:20lettuce was pulled with onsets from June1:2214th to August 11th. The two deaths were1:24both in Michigan.1:26Each person had significant underlying1:28conditions that may have been worsened1:30by Cyclospora Isis and dehydration and1:32both got sick before the July 17th1:34recall. No age, sex, or other clinical1:37details have been released. FDA1:39traceback converges on processed1:41shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor1:43Farms de Mexico, a Central Mexico1:45processor tied to growers in that region1:47including Guanajuato supplied primarily1:49June 29th to July 16th. The1:51epidemiologic link is strongest to Taco1:53Bell locations where ill people reported1:55eating but distribution was far wider.1:57The voluntary recall came July 17th for1:59all iceberg lettuce sourced from Central2:01Mexico in that window. Taco Bell stopped2:04using it around the same day with best2:06by dates of roughly July 18th to August2:083rd. Officials say recalled product2:10should no longer be on shelves.2:11Confirmed food service distribution2:13covers 31 states: Alabama, Arkansas,2:16Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa,2:18Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky,2:20Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine,2:22Maryland, Michigan, Missouri,2:23Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska,2:25Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New2:26York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania,2:28South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,2:29Virginia, Wisconsin, and West Virginia2:31with possible further to California, DC,2:33Delaware, North Dakota, Puerto Rico,2:35Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and2:37Washington. Retail was Market Side2:39iceberg salad 12 and 24 oz and shredded2:41lettuce 8 and 16 oz at select Walmart2:44stores, plus food service packs coded2:46CV, JB, Mark, SY, and others. No2:49specific Mexican farms, precise lots, or2:51harvest dates beyond that window have2:52been publicly named except [music] one2:54company reference to an independent farm2:56representing less than 1% of US iceberg2:59supply. One border sample first reported3:01positive was later deemed a false3:03positive, which FDA says does not change3:05[music] the traceback conclusions. The3:07recall covers every iceberg lot from3:08Central Mexico in that window, not a3:10single lot code, which is why the best3:12by window matters. Once August 3rd3:14passed, the product should be gone. No3:16US grown product has been linked. That3:19has not protected Salinas Valley, the3:21salad bowl of America.3:23Wholesale lettuce prices plunged a3:24record 73% in July. The consumer price3:27index for lettuce fell a record 16.4%3:28[music]3:30month-over-month. From mid-July to early3:32August, retail iceberg sales fell 25.4%3:35and prepackaged salads 34.2% [music]3:38with millions of households cutting3:39fresh lettuce purchases. Growers [music]3:41who typically survive on about 2%3:43margins saw seasonal profits wiped out.3:46Some plowed under or destroyed up to a3:48third of ready lettuce with no buyer.3:50>> [music]3:50>> Processing plants in Salinas Valley cut3:52hours. The pain concentrates on smaller3:55family operations that cannot absorb3:57destroyed crops and lost contracts,3:59[music] though even Taylor Farms,4:00founded in the mid-1990s in Salinas,4:02grown into a salad giant after4:04introducing pre-packaged salads in 2012,4:06now multi-billion dollar scale with4:08about 25,000 employees supplying chains4:11including Taco Bell, and Taco Bell4:12itself face [music] the same demand4:14shock with temporary traffic dips after4:16the stop use. The company says it spends4:18more than 200 million dollars annually4:20[music] on food safety and can trace4:22components to harvest time and location.4:25FDA has increased border screening and4:27sampling of Mexican iceberg [music]4:29and begun on-site inspections and4:30sampling at the Mexico facility and4:33associated growers with Mexican [music]4:34officials and the company temporarily4:37suspended production at the Central4:38Mexico facility.4:40No new import alert or USDA action4:43beyond the investigation has been4:44detailed. Five Cyclospora clusters4:47remain under parallel investigation.4:49Best Buy product through August 3 should4:51be gone and FDA border screening4:53continues. What is not yet known is4:55which handling steps let Cyclospora, a4:58parasite that causes intestinal illness5:00with watery diarrhea, into shredded5:02iceberg. The complete lot-level5:04traceback, the final accounting of the5:06three states still without confirmed5:07cases as delayed reports arrive, the5:10clinical details of the two Michigan5:11deaths, the verified dollar and hour5:13losses for growers and plant workers,5:15and whether prices and demand for safe5:17US grown lettuce rebound or caution5:19keeps that lettuce being plowed under5:20while the investigation stays open.5:23Like and follow for more stories that5:24matter.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗