Trump administration rejects claims of collusion with Taylor Farms amid cyclospora outbreak investigation
The White House and HHS denied allegations of coordination with Taylor Farms after a false-positive test for cyclospora was reported and retracted, while the FDA continues to focus on the company's lettuce as the outbreak source.
The White House and the Department of Health and Human Services rejected accusations that they had colluded with Taylor Farms following a brief report that a lettuce sample from the producer tested positive for the cyclospora parasite. HHS posted on X, "This is how the FAKE NEWS works: imply collusion, ignore the facts. Nothing influences our decisions except science and the safety of the American people."
Federal officials said a rapid screening test incorrectly flagged the sample, and a subsequent quality-control check confirmed the result was a false positive. The FDA clarified that the erroneous sample was not part of the company's voluntary recall and that the agency’s investigation remains focused on shredded iceberg lettuce sourced from Taylor Farms’ operations in central Mexico. Acting food chief Donald Prater told reporters that traceback data continue to point to that lettuce as the likely source of the multistate outbreak.
Taylor Farms has recalled 25 shredded lettuce and salad-mix products distributed to 27 states between June 29 and July 16, and announced it will not source iceberg lettuce from central Mexico for the remainder of the growing season. The company said the recall has been completed and that no Taylor Farms-branded products are involved.
The outbreak has sickened more than 1,600 people nationwide, with the CDC tracking cases in over 30 states and noting that several clusters are under investigation. Separate from the Taylor Farms case, the agency is examining five distinct illness clusters linked to cyclospora.
Political contributions by Taylor Farms’ parent company and its CEO have drawn scrutiny. Federal Election Commission filings show a $1 million donation to a pro-Trump political committee in March 2025 and personal donations by CEO Bruce Taylor totaling $400,000 to various Republican-aligned political action committees.
The FDA and CDC said they will continue working with state partners to remove implicated products from the market and to investigate the source of the parasite.