FDA Reclassifies Taylor Farms Lettuce Cyclospora Test as False Positive
The FDA has determined that a previously reported Cyclospora detection in a Taylor Farms lettuce sample was a false positive after further laboratory review, and no confirmed positive product tests have been found.
The Food and Drug Administration announced Sunday that a Taylor Farms lettuce sample initially reported as positive for the parasite Cyclospora was a false positive after additional laboratory analysis. FDA laboratory experts said the original result did not represent true amplification of the organism.
The agency confirmed that, as of Sunday, no product samples had yielded a confirmed positive result for Cyclospora. Taylor Fresh Foods, the parent company of Taylor Farms, said the FDA had informed it that the initial finding was incorrect and noted that the agency had not identified any positive product test.
Taylor Farms had begun a voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico on July 17, following an investigation that linked lettuce served at certain Taco Bell locations to the company's Mexican operation. The recall covered iceberg lettuce distributed to retail stores, restaurants and other food-service customers, while other Taylor Farms products were stated to be unaffected.
The FDA said it has notified Taylor Farms of the revised finding and will continue working with the company and state partners to remove any implicated products from the market and to collect and analyze additional samples.