FDA in Mexico a month after linking Taylor Farms to cyclospora outbreak
The outbreak has sickened more than 13,000 people and caused two deaths, while critics say the FDA waited too long to inspect the site.
- On Friday, August 14, 2026, FDA investigators arrived at Taylor Farms' Mexico facility to inspect operations linked to a cyclospora outbreak. The agency had notified the company of positive test results on July 17.
- The outbreak has sickened more than 13,000 people and caused two deaths, prompting Taylor Farms to recall shredded iceberg lettuce. The company supplies major retailers including Walmart and Kroger.
- Conflicting with FDA findings, Taylor Farms reports that its own testing of roughly 2,000 samples tested negative for cyclospora. Food safety experts criticize the delayed inspection, noting that in-person work is essential for root-cause analysis.
- Barbara Kowalcyk, director of George Washington University Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security, warned that delays hinder essential root-cause analysis. Critics also suggest reduced parasite monitoring under Health Secretary Robert Kennedy may have limited oversight capacity.
- Major retailers including Target, Sam's Club, Aldi, and Dollar General rely on Taylor Farms, underscoring food safety implications across the national retail landscape. Investigators continue work to resolve testing discrepancies and identify the contamination source.
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Inspectors of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) traveled to Mexico this week to inspect the facilities of Taylor Farms that are linked to the outbreak of ciclosporiasis or explosive diarrhea recorded in that country, revealed yesterday The Washington Post. Donald Prater, acting deputy commissioner of the FDA for food, confirmed to the U.S. daily that the inspectors were already in the lettuce processing plant and that they were plannin…
Why the FDA Is Finally Sending Food Safety Inspectors to Mexico
If you have recently seen discussions about the FDA sending investigators to Mexico over “Cyclosporine,” you might wonder what is actually happening. First, an important point of clarification: while cyclosporine is a common immunosuppressive prescription medication, the public health crisis making headlines centers on Cyclospora cayetanensis—a microscopic parasite that triggers an exhausting, severe intestinal infection called cyclosporiasis. T…
FDA begins inspection of Taylor Farms lettuce operation in Mexico
A month after it became apparent that the facility was linked to a Cyclospora outbreak that has now sickened almost 10,000 people, the FDA has begun inspecting a Taylor Farms lettuce growing and production operation. A recent report by the Government Accountability Office found that FDA averaged only 917 foreign food-facility inspections annually from fiscal years 2018 through 2023 — less than 5 percent of the statutory target established under …
U.S. authorities have been inspecting Taylor Farms plant in Guanajuato since this week, linked to an outbreak of ciclosporiasis in the U.S.
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