A microscopic parasite called Cyclospora has been making thousands of Americans sick since May. The illness has been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico, served at Taco Bell. Michigan alone has reported 6,571 cases. The CDC's official national count sits at 1,645. On Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared the outbreak "under control." Before Kennedy's statement, Taylor Farms executives met with the White House and told officials the FDA and CDC's response had "shortfalls." Food safety watchdogs say Kennedy, Taylor Farms, and federal regulators are all missing the point.

1. The Official Count Is Way Off (Bill Marler, Consumer Reports)

The real number of sick people is far higher than what the CDC is reporting — and a budget cut last year eliminated the tracking that would have helped.

The outbreak is at least four times bigger than the official count. Michigan has 6,571 confirmed cases. Ohio has 2,029. The CDC's national official total is 1,645 — less than what Michigan reported on its own. Bill Marler, a food safety attorney who has litigated cyclospora cases since the 1990s, wrote on July 16 that the official count "severely underestimates the true scale of illness." This gap isn't random. Most doctors don't test for Cyclospora unless they specifically request it; it doesn't show up on a routine stool culture. And only 47 states even require reporting it.

The CDC stopped tracking this parasite last year. On July 1, 2025, the agency cut its FoodNet surveillance network from tracking eight pathogens to just two: Salmonella and E. coli. Cyclospora, which had been mandatory to track for 28 years, became optional. The CDC's stated reason: funding hadn't kept pace. Brian Ronholm, Consumer Reports' Director of Food Policy, called on Congress to restore CDC surveillance funding and require comprehensive food traceability systems.

Both companies have a history of foodborne illness outbreaks. Taylor Farms was linked to a Cyclospora outbreak in 2013, and an E. coli outbreak that killed one person in 2024. Taco Bell has been implicated in foodborne illness outbreaks in 1995, 1999, 2006, and 2010-2011. A Michigan couple filed suit against both on July 21.

2. But Kennedy Says the System Worked (RFK Jr., HHS)

Kennedy says the government identified the source and the voluntary recall handled it.

The outbreak is under control, and the recall worked. Kennedy said so at a news briefing Tuesday, calling the government's identification of Taylor Farms as the source the product of "extensive forensics" testing. He said criticisms about funding cuts and surveillance gaps were "invalid." FDA has maintained throughout that "overwhelming epidemiological data" — tracking what sick people ate, not lab confirmation — supports the Taylor Farms link.

The voluntary recall system is working as designed. Taylor Farms pulled all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico on July 17. FDA is also investigating four separate cyclospora outbreaks in 2026 — that's why the national CDC case count differs from state-by-state totals.

3. But Taylor Farms Says the FDA Failed First (Taylor Farms)

The company says it cooperated fully — and the government's own testing is what failed.

No lab test has ever confirmed Cyclospora in a Taylor Farms product. Sick people reported eating Taylor Farms lettuce at Taco Bell — that epidemiological link is the only evidence. On July 18, an FDA lab reported a positive test on a Taylor Farms sample. FDA called it a false positive the next day, removing it from the public record. Taylor Farms claimed on social media that FDA apologized. FDA said it "did not offer an official apology, but did explain factually the issues." Mexico's government separately cast doubt on whether the Taylor Farms Mexico facility was the source at all.

The company met with the White House the day before the recall. Taylor Farms executives met with White House and FDA officials on July 16, arguing there were "shortfalls" in the FDA and CDC's outbreak response process. Taylor Farms issued its voluntary recall the next day.

Where This Lands

Food safety advocates say the case count makes one thing clear: the CDC cut the tracking that would have flagged this outbreak faster. Repeat offenders, they add, are facing the same insufficient accountability they always have. Kennedy says the government identified the source and companies recalled the product — and he dismisses criticism of budget cuts. Taylor Farms argues it cooperated despite a government investigation that never produced a confirmed lab result. More than 6,700 people got sick, and that number is still going up.

Sources