Cyclospora outbreak linked to Taco Bell shredded iceberg lettuce across 5 states
Anyone who ate shredded iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio or West Virginia since mid-May may have been exposed to Cyclospora. CDC confirms 1,644 cases, 94 hospitalizations, no deaths. FDA traced it to one Mexican supplier; Taco Bell dropped it.
Anyone who ate shredded iceberg lettuce at a Taco Bell location in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio or West Virginia since mid-May may have been exposed to a Cyclospora outbreak. The CDC has confirmed 1,644 cases of Cyclospora infection linked to the chain across those five states, with reported illness onset dates ranging from May 13 to July 13, 2026. There have been 94 hospitalizations and no deaths reported so far. Michigan health officials analyzed detailed food histories from 190 of the sick patients who ate at Taco Bell and found that 90 percent had eaten iceberg lettuce. The FDA's traceback investigation identified a single Mexican supplier of shredded iceberg lettuce used by the affected locations, and Taco Bell has committed to stop sourcing from that supplier. The CDC is advising people not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Mexico at Taco Bell locations in the five affected states. Because Cyclospora infections can take as long as six weeks to be confirmed and linked to an outbreak, health officials say the true number of people sickened is almost certainly higher than what has been reported, and cases may already extend beyond the five states currently identified.