Taylor Farms' Multi-Million Dollar Contributions to Conservative Groups and Lobbying Revealed Amid Cyclospora Outbreak
Federal filings show that lettuce producer Taylor Farms donated more than $3.6 million to conservative political committees and spent over $800,000 on food-safety lobbying between 2020 and 2025, as the company faces a nationwide cyclospora outbreak linked to its products.
Taylor Farms, a major U.S. lettuce supplier, has disclosed donations exceeding $3.6 million to conservative political committees from 2020 through 2025. The contributions include $1 million to the MAGA Inc. super PAC and $1.1 million to other Republican-focused super PACs in 2025, as well as $850,000 to AFP Action, an anti-regulation group with ties to the Koch network. Chairman and CEO Bruce Taylor has personally given more than $900,000 to Republican candidates and committees since 2020, including support for Senators John Cornyn and Marsha Blackburn.
The company also hired the law firm Sidley Austin in early 2025 to lobby on food-safety regulation, spending $810,000 on those efforts according to disclosure documents. Food-policy expert Marion Nestle said the donations illustrate a broader trend of large food companies using financial influence to shape regulatory policy.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services responded on X, stating that Taylor Farms’ political contributions did not affect the federal response to the cyclospora outbreak and emphasizing that agency decisions are based on science and public safety.
Taylor Farms has previously been linked to food-borne illness investigations, including a 2013 cyclospora outbreak, a 2015 celery recall for potential E. coli contamination, and a 2024 recall of yellow onions tied to an E. coli outbreak at McDonald’s. FDA inspections of the company’s facilities since 2025 have identified violations at several plants, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited multiple safety breaches, including a $1.1 million fine for a New Jersey site after a worker’s fatal injury.
The ongoing cyclospora outbreak has sickened thousands across several states, prompting scrutiny of both the company’s practices and the regulatory response.