The rumor that Taylor Farms is the source of the summer 2026 cyclosporiasis outbreak is still under investigation.
As rumors spread on social media about potential connections between Taylor Farms and the outbreak, The Washington Post reported in an
exclusive story on July 16 that, according to anonymous sources, investigators had identified shredded iceberg lettuce supplied to Taco Bell by Taylor Farms as a potential source of contamination.
The Post's story followed its July 14
story alleging that authorities were investigating Taco Bell as a potential source of the cyclosporiasis outbreak.
In a July 15 statement, Taco Bell did not confirm whether the company uses Taylor Farms as a supplier, instead emphasizing that officials have not confirmed any link to any single company and the outbreak. Taco Bell did not immediately return a request for updated comment following the Post's July 16 story.
Snopes relies on primary evidence and independent verification for our
fact-check ratings. If we receive definitive proof, we will update this story. We have reached out to the FDA, the CDC and Taylor Farms to ask whether Taylor Farms is under investigation and await a response.
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 have previously linked Taylor Farms to past foodborne illness outbreaks, including a 2013 cyclosporiasis outbreak in Iowa and Nebraska.
As rumors 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. The story 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.
The Post's reporting relied on anonymous sources, making it difficult for Snopes to identify and contact people for interviews ourselves. 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.
Given that we rely on primary evidence and independent verification for our fact-check ratings, we have not rated this claim. Public health officials have not made any announcements officially tying Taylor Farms to the cyclosporiasis outbreak as of this writing.
News reports from 2006 also 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."
We reached out to Taco Bell for an updated comment and await a response. Taylor Farms did not respond to repeated inquiries about the alleged investigation. A Taylor Farms page on recalls, last updated July 14 as of this writing, said there were no active product recalls for the company's goods.
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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not reply to questions about whether authorities were investigating Taylor Farms as a possible source for the outbreak. Snopes previously reported that in 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration cut the CDC's surveillance of cyclospora.
Washington Post story and what we know
Here's how the Washington Post's July 16 story, titled "Lettuce supplier identified as potential source of cyclosporiasis outbreak," began:
Investigators have identified shredded iceberg lettuce supplied to Taco Bell restaurants by Taylor Farms as a potential source of contamination in the outbreak of a parasitic illness that has sickened thousands in the United States, according to two individuals familiar with the investigation.
The two spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details of the ongoing investigation.
As the Post repeatedly noted, Taylor Farms is a potential source of the outbreak, not the definitive source, and the investigation is not complete.
A July 15 CDC notice said the source of the outbreak was unknown, but the federal agency believes cases in four states — Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky — are linked.
The Post's story said that according to one of its anonymous sources, Taco Bell told the FDA that it sources lettuce from Taylor Farms for the restaurants in those four states.
The Post noted that the story was developing and would be updated. The Post's reporting was also corroborated by NBC News, which also cited an anonymous source. We reached out to Erika Edwards, the lead reporter on the NBC News story, for more information about her reporting process and will update this story if we hear back.
No definitive official announcement on Taylor Farms
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.
In a July 13 news release, Michigan health officials said lettuce or salad greens may have potentially caused the outbreak, but there were still no definitive findings, including about the source (emphasis ours):
While the investigation is ongoing, current results point to lettuce or salad greens as a potential source for this outbreak, although other food items cannot be completely ruled out. No specific type of produce, grower or supplier has been identified as the source.
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).
