Taylor Fresh Foods confirmed the FDA apologized after a laboratory test for Cyclospora on its iceberg lettuce returned an erroneous positive result.
“Today, FDA apologized to us,” Taylor Fresh Foods said in a statement, marking a rare public acknowledgment of error from the federal food safety agency.
The full statement from Taylor Fresh Foods read: “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.”
The company was unambiguous in noting the significance of the reversal, stating: “To be clear, at this moment, FDA has not identified a single positive product test result for Cyclospora.”
The FDA explained its reversal by citing the inherent complexity of detecting the parasite, saying laboratory experts re-reviewed the sample and concluded “the finding does not represent true amplification and should be considered a false positive.”
Despite the retraction, Taylor Farms will continue its voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico as the FDA and CDC continue their broader outbreak investigation.
Donald W. Schaffner, chair of the department of food science at Rutgers University, said “unfortunately testing for this organism is difficult” and that “false positives are always possible.”
Schaffner added that the false positive result could compound public anxiety, saying “in this case, I think it may lead to more confusion and uncertainty in the minds of consumers.”
Thomas Gremillion, director of food policy at the Consumer Federation of America, separately noted last week that it is “really hard to grow cyclospora in the lab,” underscoring longstanding challenges in accurately identifying the parasite.
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by a parasite called Cyclospora cayetanensis, transmitted through contaminated food or water, and its symptoms differ from other foodborne illnesses in that it “lasts longer and symptoms can get a little better and then they can come back.”
The outbreak has now touched more than 34 states, with the CDC confirming 1,645 laboratory-confirmed cases as of July 13, along with 141 hospitalizations and no reported deaths.
Michigan remains the hardest-hit state, with more than 5,000 cases reported there alone, making this one of the largest cyclosporiasis outbreaks in recent U.S. history.
The CDC is also investigating additional outbreaks across the country unrelated to the five-state Midwestern cluster, further widening the scope of the public health response.
Tracking the full scale of the crisis has grown more difficult since the CDC stopped monitoring Cyclospora infections and seven other foodborne pathogens beginning July 1, 2025, causing official numbers to lag behind state-level reports.
