FDA declares Taylor Farms lettuce cyclospora test a false positive
The FDA re-examined a lettuce sample that had initially tested positive for cyclospora and determined the result was erroneous, leaving no confirmed positive samples in the ongoing outbreak investigation.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on July 19 that a re-analysis of a shredded iceberg lettuce sample supplied by Taylor Farms showed the earlier cyclospora detection was a false positive. The agency added that, as of that date, no confirmed positive samples for the parasite had been identified.
"We have notified Taylor Farms and continue working with the firm to ensure product implicated in this outbreak has been removed from the market," the FDA statement read.
Taylor Farms confirmed that the lettuce in question was not part of its current recall. The outbreak, linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at several Taco Bell locations in the Midwest and Appalachian regions, has resulted in about 100 hospitalizations but no deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The lettuce was produced in 5-pound bags at Taylor Farms' facility in Guanajuato, Mexico.