Taylor Farms pulls lettuce linked to cyclospora outbreak affecting over 1,600 people

Taylor Farms, one of the United States' largest producers of leafy greens, said it would remove from the market the lettuce suspected of causing a cyclospora outbreak that has infected more than 1,600 people. The recall follows a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigation that linked the illness to iceberg lettuce supplied by the California-based, family-owned company to certain Taco Bell locations, according to two federal officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

In an email to the media, Taylor Farms said it "promptly initiated a voluntary removal of product" after receiving information from the Food and Drug Administration earlier this week and emphasized its commitment to proactive actions.

Founded in 1995, the Salinas Valley firm now sells over $7 billion worth of produce annually, operating 30 processing facilities and employing about 25,000 workers across more than a dozen U.S. states as well as Mexico and Canada. The company supplies a large share of salad kits in grocery stores and provides hundreds of millions of fresh vegetable servings each week, though it does not disclose specific retail or restaurant customers.