Walmart pulls Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce amid cyclospora outbreak

Walmart announced that it has withdrawn four bagged iceberg lettuce salad products supplied by Taylor Farms from select stores in 27 states. The retailer said the action is a precaution after receiving notice from the supplier, although no illnesses have been confirmed among customers who purchased the items.

The move follows a similar recall by fast-food chain Taco Bell, which earlier this week stopped using lettuce from the same supplier after the CDC and FDA linked the produce to a cyclospora outbreak. The parasite, which can cause prolonged diarrhea, has sickened thousands of people nationwide, with Michigan reporting more than 5,000 cases and 102 hospitalizations as of mid-July.

Taylor Farms, a subsidiary of a larger California-based company, issued a statement that it is removing the implicated lettuce, suspending processing and distribution of iceberg lettuce from central Mexico, and has notified customers. The company added that the source represents less than 1% of the U.S. iceberg lettuce supply.

Customers who bought the recalled items are advised not to consume them and may return them to any Walmart location for a full refund. Walmart provided a customer-service phone line for further assistance.

Food-service distributors, including Sysco, have also halted sales of the affected lettuce at the supplier’s request. Legal experts have criticized the recall notices for lacking detail about other retailers and restaurants that may have received the product.

"We are working closely with our supplier and took immediate steps to remove the products from sale," Walmart said in a statement.

The outbreak has prompted a modest decline in foot traffic at several quick-service restaurants that feature lettuce-heavy menus, according to data from a market-analysis firm.