A nationwide recall of iceberg lettuce distributed across 27 states has been announced after federal health officials traced a cyclospora outbreak—an intestinal parasite that causes severe diarrhea—to lettuce supplied from central Mexico. The recall has also sparked political debate, with several Democrats blaming President Donald Trump even though investigators identified the contamination source outside the United States.

California-based Taylor Farms issued the voluntary recall after the contaminated lettuce was linked to a growing number of illnesses and multiple lawsuits filed against Taco Bell, which allegedly served shredded lettuce containing the parasite.

No deaths have been reported in connection with the outbreak.

Despite federal investigators tracing the contamination to a supplier in Mexico, some Democratic lawmakers have argued that the Trump administration bears responsibility for the public health crisis.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., posted a video on social media claiming the outbreak—the largest of its kind in U.S. history—was the result of the president dismantling the nation’s public health system.

She said the “worst outbreak in U.S. history” was caused by the president “taking a wrecking ball” to “our public health infrastructure,” even though the actual source of the outbreak has been traced to Mexico.

We can thank Trump for making the outbreak of a parasite causing explosive diarrhea MUCH WORSE—seriously!
 
CDC used to track Cyclospora, but Trump gutted our public health infrastructure & made monitoring the parasite optional. Now, we're in the worst outbreak in U.S. history. pic.twitter.com/ZsYXdqrMwG

— Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) July 18, 2026

Abdul El-Sayed, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Michigan, also criticized the administration, linking the parasite outbreak and poor air quality from Canadian wildfire smoke to what he described as an “abnormally [poor] couple of months” for residents of his state.

El-Sayed blamed both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and President Trump’s Food and Drug Administration for the cyclospora outbreak, while also faulting oil companies for the wildfire-related air pollution, attributing it to global warming.

Earlier this week, the CDC announced that the outbreak had been traced to lettuce supplied by a single grower in Mexico. According to reports, at least 1,600 people have become ill this year after being infected with cyclospora.

Taylor Farms de Mexico, based in Guanajuato, announced Friday that it was recalling 25 shredded lettuce and salad products made with lettuce from the affected growing area and said it has halted all purchases from that supplier.

“We are actively removing the implicated products,” Taylor Farms said in a statement. “The company has stopped receiving product from the implicated lot, suspended distribution of the iceberg lettuce from Central Mexico, notified our customers, and we are continuing to work with the FDA, CDC, and state authorities.”

The company also advised consumers to throw away any recalled products immediately and seek refunds if they had already purchased them.

“Consumers who have purchased the recalled iceberg lettuce should discard it immediately and not consume it. Full refunds are also available at the location of purchase. Consumers experiencing health issues should contact their physician. Consumers with any questions may contact our customer care team at 855-455-0098 Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm PST.”

The recalled products were distributed in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Taylor Farms said the recall includes products sold under eight different brand labels that were shipped as recently as Thursday and have “best by” dates through August 3. A complete list of affected products has been published in the company’s online recall notice.

According to federal health officials, the outbreak has sickened at least 1,645 people and resulted in 141 hospitalizations. Cases have been confirmed in 34 states, with Michigan recording the highest number of infections.

Cyclospora is a parasite typically spread through food or water contaminated with human feces. Outbreaks often occur when fresh produce is washed or irrigated with contaminated water before reaching consumers.

{Matzav.com}