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Home » 2026 Cyclospora Outbreak Tracker: Taco Bell & Taylor Farms Lettuce, Cases, Deaths & What to Do

2026 Cyclospora Outbreak Tracker: Taco Bell & Taylor Farms Lettuce, Cases, Deaths & What to Do

Last updated: August 21, 2026. Figures below are as reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and state health departments, and are updated as new information is confirmed.

A large, multi-state outbreak of Cyclospora (cyclosporiasis) has spread across the United States during the summer of 2026. Investigators have linked the illnesses to iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de México — served at Taco Bell and sold at retail — and the lettuce has been recalled. As of the CDC’s latest update, the outbreak has grown to 10,930 illnesses across 17 states, with at least 454 hospitalizations and two deaths (both in Michigan). This page is a running tracker of what is known — the case counts, the states affected, the recall, the state of the evidence, and what to do if you or a family member became ill. For our latest day-to-day reporting, see the recent coverage below.

Where the investigation stands — updated August 21, 2026

  • The CDC has reported two deaths. Both were in Michigan, in people with underlying health conditions, and the CDC now includes them in its outbreak figures.
  • The recall is in effect. Taylor Farms de México recalled all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico, from both foodservice and retail, on July 17, 2026.
  • The lettuce is still the identified likely source. The FDA traced the lettuce served at Taco Bell back to a single supplier, Taylor Farms de México, and investigators’ ingredient-level analysis found that 90% of interviewed patients reported eating iceberg lettuce.
  • The one positive lab test was withdrawn. On July 19 the FDA announced that a Cyclospora-positive sample — collected at the border — was a false positive that “does not represent true amplification,” and the FDA has said it does not change the investigation’s conclusions. No product sample has tested positive for Cyclospora. FDA testing continues, and in its August 20, 2026 update the FDA said it has begun onsite inspections and sampling at iceberg lettuce growers in Mexico, in coordination with Mexican officials.

In short: the case against the lettuce rests on traceback and patient interviews, not on a laboratory finding in the food. That is not unusual for this parasite — see why Cyclospora is so hard to detect in food.

The recall: what was pulled, and what to do

Taylor Farms de México recalled, on July 17, 2026, all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico. The recalled product was distributed to 31 states.

  • At retail, the brand is Marketside, sold at Walmart: Marketside Iceberg Salad in 12-ounce and 24-ounce bags, and Shredded Lettuce in 8-ounce and 16-ounce bags.
  • Best-if-used-by dates: July 18, 2026 through August 3, 2026.
  • Foodservice products are listed separately in the recall notice, linked from the FDA’s outbreak page.
  • States the recalled product reached: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The FDA notes distribution may have reached further.

If you have it: do not eat it. Throw it away (double-bag it so no one else eats it) or return it to the store for a refund. If you already ate it, watch for symptoms for the next two weeks — most people who get sick do so within a week.

2026 Cyclospora outbreak, by the numbers

The outbreak linked to the lettuce

  • At least 10,930 people infected with Cyclospora across 17 states. The outbreak now includes people who reported eating at Taco Bell or eating the recalled Taylor Farms de México iceberg lettuce from other sources. Two states — Maine and Massachusetts — were added in the CDC’s August 13, 2026 update, and no states have been added since.
  • At least 454 hospitalizations.
  • Two deaths — both in Michigan, in people with underlying health conditions — which the CDC has attributed to this outbreak.
  • Illnesses began on June 14, 2026 and onset dates have continued through August 11, 2026, the most recent onset the CDC has reported.

The broader 2026 Cyclospora season

  • The CDC says this lettuce outbreak has contributed significantly to a sharp increase in Cyclospora cases across the United States this year.
  • The agency is also investigating other Cyclospora outbreaks and illnesses that are not linked to this lettuce — more than one contaminated product is usually circulating during the summer season.
  • Because it can take up to six weeks to confirm that a case is part of the outbreak, and many people recover without being tested, the true number of illnesses is higher than the confirmed count, and the outbreak may reach more states.
  • Michigan alone has counted 14,277 cyclosporiasis cases. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reported 14,277 cases and 335 hospitalizations in Michigan as of August 20, 2026, along with the two deaths. That is more than the entire national confirmed count, because the two agencies are not counting the same thing: MDHHS counts every cyclosporiasis case reported during its outbreak investigation, while the CDC and FDA report only laboratory-confirmed cases they have tied to this outbreak. Both figures are correct — they answer different questions.

Sources: CDC outbreak investigation and Health Alert Network advisory, FDA, and state health departments, as of the CDC’s August 20, 2026 update. Confirmed counts lag real illness because Cyclospora requires a specific laboratory test that is not part of a standard stool panel — see what to do if you are sick.

Why a negative test doesn’t clear the lettuce

It is tempting to read “no positive sample” as “the food was fine.” With this parasite, that inference does not hold. Detecting Cyclospora in food is far harder than detecting bacteria:

  • The parasite is present in very small numbers, so samples have to be enormous to catch it.
  • Cyclospora cannot be grown in a lab — it needs a human host to reproduce, so scientists cannot culture it to confirm a find.
  • The oocysts lodge in crevices on the surface of produce and are difficult to wash off for testing.
  • Many detection methods cannot tell whether a recovered parasite was still capable of causing illness, and whole genome sequencing — the gold standard for bacteria — cannot currently be used on this parasite.

By the time an outbreak is recognized, the implicated food has usually been eaten or thrown out. That is why investigators lean on traceback records and patient interviews, which is exactly the evidence pointing at this lettuce. For more, see our explainer on why Cyclospora is so hard to kill and detect.

Who counts as part of this outbreak

The CDC recently broadened how it defines this outbreak. At first it counted only people who had eaten at Taco Bell; it now also counts people who ate the recalled Taylor Farms de México iceberg lettuce from other sources. That is why the count jumped to 6,358 in the CDC’s August 5 update — it has since risen to 10,930 — and why six new states were added at once.

The practical consequence: eating at Taco Bell is not the only way to have been exposed. The same recalled lettuce reached retail (sold as Marketside at Walmart) and other foodservice customers. If you ate iceberg lettuce — at a restaurant or from a store — during the outbreak window and developed symptoms, you may be part of this outbreak.

Cyclosporiasis is also seasonal, and the CDC says it is investigating other Cyclospora clusters that are not linked to this lettuce. A summer Cyclospora illness is therefore not automatically part of this outbreak — a laboratory test is what connects an individual case. The FDA’s CORE outbreak table has listed several separate Cyclospora investigations at once.

Timeline of the 2026 outbreak

  • Mid-June 2026 — A new Cyclospora cluster is added to the FDA’s CORE outbreak table, signaling an active federal investigation.
  • Late June 2026 — The CDC’s national cyclosporiasis surveillance — a seasonal count of domestically acquired illnesses that runs May 1 through August 31 every year, separate from any single outbreak — reaches 145 domestically acquired cases across 17 states, with illness onsets from May 1 to June 6 and 20 hospitalizations. Those cases are not this outbreak and involve a largely different set of states; the CDC’s current investigation dates this outbreak’s own earliest illnesses to June 14, 2026.
  • Early July 2026 — Michigan’s case count reaches 572 and keeps climbing.
  • July 9, 2026 — Taco Bell pulls fresh produce, including lettuce, from restaurants in the affected states.
  • July 14, 2026 — The CDC issues a Health Alert Network (HAN) advisory, reporting 1,645 confirmed and 5,100+ probable cases nationwide.
  • July 16–17, 2026 — The CDC links shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell to a five-state outbreak; the FDA traces it to a single central-Mexico supplier and Taylor Farms de México issues a recall.
  • July 19–20, 2026 — The FDA declares the one positive sample a false positive. The recall stands, and the traceback and patient-interview evidence still points to the lettuce.
  • July 24, 2026 — The outbreak expands from five states to nine, and the case count rises to 1,947 with 98 hospitalizations.
  • July 28, 2026 — A member of Congress formally questions Taylor Farms about the outbreak, and North Carolina reports a separate cluster linked to parsley and cilantro.
  • July 30, 2026 — The CDC’s combined confirmed-and-possible count passes 18,000 (6,707 laboratory-confirmed), and six separate Cyclospora investigations are on the FDA’s CORE outbreak table at once.
  • August 3, 2026 — The CDC reports the outbreak’s first two deaths, both in Michigan and in people with underlying health conditions.
  • August 5, 2026 — The CDC broadens the outbreak to include people who ate the recalled Taylor Farms de México lettuce, not only Taco Bell diners; the count rises to 6,358 illnesses across 15 states (six states added), with 278 hospitalizations, and onset dates now extend to July 31.
  • August 6, 2026 — Michigan lifts its bagged-salad advisory. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services tells residents they may resume routine guidance for lettuce and salad greens, saying its broad precautionary recommendation to avoid bagged salad mixes is “no longer in effect” as new case reports and diarrhea-related emergency department visits decline. Michigan’s outbreak total stands at 12,485 cases. The national Taylor Farms de México recall remains in effect, and the CDC and FDA investigations remain open.
  • August 13, 2026 — The national count rises to 9,481 cases in 17 states, and Michigan’s weekly update raises the state total to 13,909 cases and 314 hospitalizations. In its Thursday refresh, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reported 13,909 cyclosporiasis cases and 314 hospitalizations among Michigan residents, still with two deaths. In updates stamped the same day, the CDC and FDA raised the national count to 9,481 illnesses across 17 states — adding Maine and Massachusetts — with 398 hospitalizations and still two deaths, and extended the onset range through August 3, 2026. Both agencies’ investigations remain open.
  • August 20, 2026 — The national count rises to 10,930 cases and 454 hospitalizations, and Michigan’s weekly update raises the state total to 14,277 cases and 335 hospitalizations. In its Thursday refresh, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reported 14,277 cyclosporiasis cases and 335 hospitalizations among Michigan residents, still with two deaths. In updates stamped the same day, the CDC and FDA raised the national count to 10,930 illnesses across 17 states — with no new states added — reporting 454 hospitalizations and still two deaths, and extended the onset range through August 11, 2026. The FDA also said it has begun onsite inspections and sampling at iceberg lettuce growers in Mexico. Both agencies’ investigations remain open.

Symptoms & what to do if you think you have Cyclospora

Cyclosporiasis characteristically causes watery diarrhea that comes and goes, often with loss of appetite, significant weight loss, cramping, bloating, nausea, and fatigue. Symptoms usually begin two days to two weeks after exposure. Untreated, they can last weeks to more than a month and may relapse — which is what sets it apart from most short-lived food poisoning.

  1. See a doctor and ask specifically for a Cyclospora test. Cyclospora is not found on a standard stool test; a lab must run a specific test (a special stain or molecular/PCR panel), and physicians often have to request it by name.
  2. The standard treatment is an antibiotic (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, sold as Bactrim or Septra). People with a sulfa allergy have limited alternatives. Follow the guidance of a licensed medical provider — this page is information, not medical advice. See the CDC’s Cyclospora overview.
  3. Naming the supplier does not narrow who may be responsible. Taylor Farms de México is the supplier the FDA’s traceback investigation converged on, and it is the primary target, but the restaurants and retailers that served or sold the contaminated lettuce are not cleared by that finding and can retain legal responsibility of their own. A cyclospora lawyer can work out which of those applies to you from your purchase and medical records.
  4. Preserve evidence if you may have a claim: keep your positive test result and medical records, receipts, loyalty-app purchase histories, and any leftover food packaging, and write down everywhere you ate in the two weeks before you got sick.
  5. Report your illness to your local or state health department — it helps investigators find the source.

Were you or a loved one seriously sickened — or did a family lose someone — in the 2026 Cyclospora outbreak?

Pritzker Hageman is a national food-safety law firm that represents people seriously sickened — and families of those who died — in foodborne-illness outbreaks like this one. Hundreds of millions recovered. No fee unless we win.

Talk to a Cyclospora lawyer — free case review ›

Our latest Cyclospora coverage

Frequently asked questions

Has anyone died in the 2026 Cyclospora outbreak?

Yes. The CDC has reported two cyclosporiasis-related deaths, both in Michigan and both in people with underlying health conditions, as part of this outbreak. Serious cyclosporiasis is uncommon in otherwise healthy adults, but the illness can be dangerous for the very young, the elderly, and people whose health is already compromised.

The FDA said the test was a false positive — does that mean the lettuce was safe?

No. It means no sample of the food has tested positive, which is different from the food being cleared. The link between this lettuce and the outbreak rests on the FDA’s traceback to a single central-Mexico supplier and on patient interviews — including the finding that 90% of interviewed Taco Bell patrons ate iceberg lettuce. The recall remains in effect and the FDA is continuing to test. Cyclospora is notoriously difficult to detect in food, so a negative or withdrawn result is not evidence of safety.

Has the source of the 2026 outbreak been confirmed?

For this outbreak — now spanning 17 states — investigators have identified iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico and supplied by Taylor Farms de México, served at Taco Bell and sold at retail, as the likely source — based on traceback and epidemiology rather than a positive product test. The CDC is still investigating other 2026 Cyclospora illnesses that do not appear to be linked to that lettuce.

Can I bring a claim if I was sickened after eating at Taco Bell?

Possibly. When a contaminated food is traced to a specific supplier and restaurant, people who were sickened may have a claim against the companies in the supply chain — and a positive test on the food is not required to bring one. A food-safety attorney can review your diagnosis and where you ate, for free, and tell you honestly whether you have a claim worth pursuing.

Does washing or freezing kill Cyclospora?

No. Rinsing produce does not reliably remove the Cyclospora parasite, and freezing does not kill it. Heat does — the parasite is destroyed at about 158°F. That is why outbreaks are traced to a contaminated supply rather than to home handling.

Is Cyclospora contagious from person to person?

No. Cyclospora is not spread directly from one person to another. After it is passed in stool it needs days to weeks in the environment to become infectious, so it spreads through contaminated food or water, not casual contact.

How long do I have to take legal action?

Deadlines (statutes of limitation) vary by state and by the facts of your case, so it is best not to wait. A food-safety attorney can review your situation for free and tell you honestly whether you have a claim worth pursuing.

Official sources