The largest outbreak of cyclosporiasis ever recorded in the United States is over, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.
The foodborne illness, caused by the parasite cyclospora, sickened 12,833 people across 21 states in the outbreak’s largest cluster, according to the CDC. Health officials tied that cluster to shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms in Mexico.
All told, the season produced 19,595 cases of cyclosporiasis nationwide — the worst the country has seen. Two deaths were reported, both in Michigan, which served as the epicenter of the largest cluster.
A Hard Bug to Trace
Cyclospora proved unusually difficult for investigators to run down. Its long incubation period means people can fall ill weeks after eating contaminated food, stretching the timeline between a case being reported and the source being identified. By the time traceback work points to a specific product, the implicated produce may already be spoiled and off shelves.
That lag complicated the response even as case counts climbed across nearly two dozen states.
Recalls and Restaurant Fallout
Taylor Farms recalled the iceberg lettuce in July, including packages sold at grocers such as Walmart. Taco Bell, which served the shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms, pulled the product from its restaurants that same month.
The disruption rippled through the food business. Restaurants built around fresh lettuce saw softer sales during the stretch, with Taco Bell among the hardest hit. Grocery store lettuce sales also slipped as shoppers steered away from the product at the center of the outbreak.
Pressure on Regulators
The scale of the outbreak drew attention to how food safety is overseen in the U.S. It sparked scrutiny of federal food safety procedures, of corporate consolidation across the country’s food supply, and of staffing and funding levels at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Those questions are likely to linger even as the immediate public health emergency has passed. The CDC’s declaration that the outbreak is over closes a chapter on a season that set records for case counts and put a widely used produce item under a national spotlight.
Source: www.cnbc.com — https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/11/cdc-record-cyclosporiasis-outbreak-over.html
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