Lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms is being recalled at Walmart stores in 27 states due to possible links to cross-polyosis outbreaks.
The company announced in a statement to USA TODAY that it has recalled some bags of Marketside Bagged Iceberg Salad and Shredded Iceberg Salad.
Walmart says there have been no confirmed illnesses linked to the product so far. “We are working closely with our suppliers and have taken immediate steps to discontinue the product,” the company said in a statement.
“The health and safety of our customers is our top priority,” the company said in a statement. “While there is no indication that any products sold in our stores are affected by the current Cyclospora investigation, we have removed four bagged iceberg lettuce salad products from some of our stores as a precautionary measure following notification from our supplier.
Walmart follows Taco Bell in recalling potentially contaminated lettuce
Walmart’s move comes after Taco Bell announced on Friday, July 17, that it had removed all lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms from its restaurants. The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Thursday, July 16, that lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in five states – Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia and provided by a single supplier – has been linked to an ongoing outbreak of parasitic infections associated with stomach pain.
The CDC reported on Friday, July 17, that an investigation revealed that a Taco Bell customer became ill after eating shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in Mexico that was contaminated with Cyclospora, a microscopic parasite that can infect the intestinal tract and cause long-term diarrhea.
Thousands of people across the country are affected by cyclosporiasis. As of July 16, Michigan had reported more than 5,000 cases and 102 people were hospitalized, according to the state health department.
It is likely that more restaurants and retailers received potentially contaminated lettuce. In a July 17 update to the Food and Drug Administration’s website, Taylor Farms de Mexico, a Guanajuato, Mexico-based subsidiary of the Salinas, California-based company, listed 27 states that had received iceberg lettuce, shredded lettuce, salad mixes and other products from central Mexico (the same list as Walmart’s recall notice).
The company announced it would notify customers, remove the affected products, and cease processing and distributing iceberg lettuce from central Mexico.
Sysco, the country’s largest food distribution company, announced on Friday that it would remove iceberg lettuce from Mexico, according to Reuters.
Walmart stores in these states have had Taylor Farms lettuce recalled.
A food recall notice posted on Walmart’s website details that Taylor Fresh Foods has recalled iceberg lettuce from central Mexico due to potential health risks, and that the lettuce was being sold in some Walmart stores.
The lettuce products subject to recall are:
| U.P.C. | explanation |
| 681131328944 | Marketside Bagged Iceberg Salad, 12 oz. |
| 681131328951 | Marketside Bagged Iceberg Salad, 24 oz. |
| 681131328968 | Marketside Bagged Shredded Iceberg Salad, 8 oz. |
| 681131532099 | Marketside Bagged Shredded Iceberg Salad, 16 oz. |
The product was sold in select locations in the following states:
- Alabama
- arkansas
- connecticut
- florida
- georgia
- illinois
- Indiana
- iowa
- Kansas
- kentucky
- louisiana
- maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- missouri
- mississippi
- new hampshire
- new jersey
- north carolina
- ohio
- oklahoma
- pennsylvania
- south carolina
- tennessee
- texas
- virginia
- wisconsin
Customers who purchased these products should not consume them and should either discard them or return them to their local Walmart store for a full refund, the company said. Customers with questions can contact Walmart Customer Service at 1-800-925-6278.
Where did Taylor Farms’ lettuce from central Mexico go?
Almost all of the lettuce products listed were sent to restaurants and other food service industries. Neither the FDA notice nor Taylor Farms’ recall notice lists specific retailers or restaurants that received the lettuce.
Taylor Farms said in a July 17 statement: “While FDA follow-up indicates that certain independent farms representing less than 1% of the U.S. iceberg lettuce supply may be the source of the outbreak, we have indefinitely removed all iceberg lettuce from the area.”
USA TODAY reached out to numerous restaurant chains and retailers for comment.
Two years ago, Taylor Farms was linked to an E. coli outbreak linked to onions served at McDonald’s.
Contributors: Eve Chen and Sara Moniuszko
Mike Snyder is a national trends news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, and X, and email him at: mike snyder & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com.
