As media reports about the current Cyclospora outbreak affecting the food supply in the U.S. have proliferated, public concern about the safety of fresh produce has skyrocketed over the past few weeks.

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) traceback investigation initially identified shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms in Mexico and shipped to Taco Bell restaurants in the U.S. as a likely source of the outbreak. However, the FDA updated its website on Sunday, stating: “As of July 19, 2026, there are no confirmed positive sample results for product testing for Cyclospora.”

Taylor Farms responded in a statement: “Yesterday, FDA informed Taylor Fresh Foods that one of its iceberg lettuce products from central Mexico tested positive for cyclospora. Today, we were informed that FDA made a mistake, and this was a false positive. To be clear, at this moment, FDA has not identified a single positive product test result for Cyclospora.”

Based on initial information provided by health officials, Taylor Farms initiated a voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce grown and processed in central Mexico.

“All other Taylor Farms products, including all Taylor Farms brand products available for purchase, are not involved in the recall,” the company stated. “Our thoughts remain with everyone who has fallen ill in this outbreak. We are committed to working with public health authorities as the ongoing outbreak investigation continues.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised consumers not to eat lettuce at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.

The state of the outbreak

The CDC has logged more than 1,600 lab-confirmed cases nationally, and state health agencies are tracking thousands of additional illnesses, with Michigan currently reporting the highest concentration of cases, eclipsing 6,100 as of July 20. A total of 31 states have reported cyclosporiasis cases to the CDC.

UGA’s Cyclospora expert

Ynes Ortega, a food safety researcher and associate professor at the University of Georgia’s Center for Food Safety, specializes in Cyclospora and has studied the parasite for more than 20 years.

Ortega answered the most important questions regarding the current outbreak.

What you need to know

Q: What is Cyclospora, and why are we hearing so much about it right now?

A: Cyclospora is a coccidian parasite that causes gastrointestinal illness. It can be acquired by ingesting contaminated foods or drinking contaminated water containing Cyclospora oocysts. While this parasite has previously caused illness in the U.S., many more cases have been reported this year, resulting in increased awareness of this parasite and its association with fresh produce.

Q: How does someone get infected with Cyclospora, and can it spread from person to person?

A: Transmission occurs when a person ingests raw, fresh produce or water contaminated with Cyclospora oocysts. Although it is a fecal-oral transmission, person-to-person transmission does not occur. This parasite requires 7 to 15 days in the environment — soil, water, vegetables, etc. — to mature and become infectious. Symptoms usually begin about one week after ingesting contaminated food or water, but onset can range from 2 days to 2 weeks or more.

Q: Why is Cyclospora often linked to fresh produce, and which foods are most commonly associated with outbreaks?

A: The foods most commonly associated with Cyclospora are leafy greens, usually served in salads. Berries, in particular raspberries, were associated with large outbreaks in the early 1990s. Because leafy greens and berries are usually consumed raw, the parasite can remain viable, even after washing. The surface of some vegetables and berries are not simple and smooth, making it hard to remove dirt or oocysts that may be present on the surface of foods.

Q: What are your best produce-safety tips for consumers?

A: Washing fruits and vegetables could remove some of the parasites present, but not all. Fully cooking foods is the most effective method to reduce risk.

Q: What makes Cyclospora particularly challenging for scientists, food producers and public health officials to detect and control?

A: Unlike bacteria which can be easily grown in labs, Cyclospora has a complex lifecycle and must infect human host cells to propagate. Very low numbers of the parasite present in foods can cause illness, but detecting those few oocysts can be difficult and requires specialized methods for isolation and characterization.

Cyclospora is highly resistant to sanitizers and disinfectants approved for use in foods. Continued research, collaboration and open conversations between the food industry, academics and federal partners is needed to develop practical solutions at the production and processing levels of the U.S. food system to reduce the risk of contaminated produce.

Q: You were part of the team that first identified Cyclospora as a human pathogen. How has our understanding of this parasite changed since those early discoveries?

Cyclospora was once thought to be an exotic parasite acquired only acquired when travelling overseas. Today, we know that Cyclospora is a global issue that can be acquired in the U.S. without the need to travel to endemic locations.

While we have better molecular diagnostic tools for subtyping this parasite in humans, much work is still needed to effectively detect and kill Cyclospora in foods.

Q: What research is UGA conducting to help prevent Cyclospora contamination, and fresh produce and improve food safety?

We are looking for intervention methods that could inactivate the parasite, but the limited number of oocysts available for research has led to the use of surrogate parasites. Any methods developed will need to be validated using Cyclospora.

Q: What’s the one thing you’d like consumers to know about protecting themselves from foodborne parasites this summer?

Washing fresh produce is a good practice and can reduce the risk of infection, but it will not completely eliminate pathogens. Washing hands thoroughly with soap and water is another good practice, especially after using the bathroom. Cook foods when possible and wash cutting tools and cutting boards after cutting vegetables and before processing ready-to-eat foods.

Q: Why is Cyclospora so difficult to trace back to a specific food source?

Most possible food sources are fresh products with a short shelf life and are usually unavailable or have been discarded when outbreaks occur. Therefore, we rely on information from infected individuals and test whenever possible.

UGA founded the Center for Food Safety in 1992 to promote food safety and its role in protecting the agricultural system. Learn more about the center’s research at cfs.caes.uga.edu.