Taco Bell has responded after federal health officials linked a multistate Cyclospora outbreak to shredded iceberg lettuce served at some of its restaurants.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, 1,644 people in five states had reported Cyclospora infections tied to Taco Bell as of July 17, with 94 hospitalizations and no deaths. Officials said the illnesses began between May 13 and July 13, 2026, and that the outbreak is part of a larger nationwide cluster of Cyclospora cases.
Health officials have identified shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia as the source of the outbreak. The FDA said the investigation had converged on a single supplier, Taylor Farms de Mexico, and that the company had voluntarily removed all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market.
The agency also said that ‘additional states may be added to this advisory as more information becomes available’.
It also urged people to take the following step: “If you have symptoms of cyclosporiasis, contact your health care provider to report symptoms and receive care, especially if you ate shredded iceberg lettuce in the two weeks before you got sick.”
The FDA added that Taco Bell is ‘working to stop use of all lettuce implicated by this investigation’.
The company later confirmed it had taken action, saying in a statement released on Thursday (July 16):
“Based on ongoing conversations with public health officials, and out of an abundance of caution, Taco Bell has taken immediate action to voluntarily remove potentially impacted lettuce from a supplier in select states.
“The affected ingredient from our supplier is being indefinitely removed from our supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within 24 hours in select states.”
The statement went on to say:
“While no official advisory has been issued, we believe public health is a shared responsibility among restaurants, their suppliers, and authorities, and we are proud to have consistently acted quickly and proactively to protect our guests.
“Taco Bell has taken precautionary action, and we encourage all relevant restaurants, retailers, and foodservice operators to do the same.”
By July 17, Taco Bell said it had completed removal of the affected lettuce from its restaurants and that the ingredient had been removed from its supply chain nationwide. Federal officials said not all Taco Bell locations in the affected states received the implicated product.
Before that official statement was issued, some Taco Bell restaurants had already posted notices explaining that lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole, and cilantro onion had been removed from the menu.
Those notices read:
“We are currently unable to sell lettuce, cilantro onion, pico de gallo, and guacamole due to a nationwide recall. We apologize for the inconvenience.
“Any items ordered that normally come with these items WILL NOT contain them.”
Officials say cyclosporiasis can bring a range of symptoms, with some occurring more frequently than others. The infection is often associated with watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea and fatigue, and symptoms can last days to weeks if not treated.
Health authorities say people who ate shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell in the affected states and develop symptoms should seek medical care and mention the exposure, since testing and treatment can depend on a provider’s evaluation.