Taco Bell Cyclospora Lawsuit

Shredded iceberg lettuce that was served at Taco Bell has been linked to a Cyclospora outbreak across 5 states, with 1,644 people sick and 94 hospitalized as of July 16, 2026. If you got sick, you are not alone.

What You Can Do & How We Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Taco Bell Cyclospora food poisoning cases in all 50 states. If you got sick with cyclospora after eating shredded iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Food Poisoning Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

Quick Facts About the Taco Bell Cyclospora Outbreak

• Restaurant: Taco Bell locations in IN, KY, MI, OH, and WV
• Implicated food: Shredded iceberg lettuce from Mexico
• Supplier named in news reports: Taylor Farms (not confirmed on the record by the FDA or CDC)
• Investigating agencies: FDA and CDC, with state and local partners
• Illnesses in the Taco Bell outbreak: 1,644 as of July 16, 2026
• Hospitalizations: 94
• Deaths: 0
• Illness onset dates: May 13 through July 13, 2026
• Status: Ongoing investigation, no recall issued
• Official source: FDA outbreak advisory (July 2026)

What Happened With the Taco Bell Lettuce?

In July 2026, the FDA and CDC announced that they were investigating multi-state outbreak of Cyclospora illnesses that has been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce. The lettuce was imported from Mexico and served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Everyone counted in this outbreak reported eating at Taco Bell. The FDA and state partners are advising people in those 5 states not to eat food items with shredded iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell while the investigation is open.

How Was the Outbreak Traced to Taco Bell?

Michigan health officials analyzed the meals eaten by 190 of the sick people who reported going to Taco Bell and shared the results with the CDC. The FDA reports that 90% of those interviewed reported eating iceberg lettuce. That is the kind of signal investigators look for when they narrow an outbreak to one ingredient rather than a whole menu.

The FDA’s traceback investigation then identified convergence on a single supplier of iceberg lettuce that is located in Mexico. The lettuce was used by the Taco Bell locations where sick people ate before becoming ill. The FDA has started collecting product samples for testing and has increased screening at the border for the implicated lettuce.

Who Is the Lettuce Supplier?

The FDA and CDC have not publicly named the supplier on the record. However, people familiar with the investigation told news media outlets that the supplier is a Taylor Farms grower in Mexico.

Taylor Farms is the trade name of Taylor Fresh Foods, Inc., a Salinas, California produce company that supplies several major restaurant chains.

Taylor Farms has responded publicly. The company stated that no Taylor Farms branded salads or kits are associated with this outbreak and that none of its branded salad kits contain iceberg lettuce.

Taylor Farms also announced that Taylor Farms de Mexico is voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico, and described the FDA traceback as pointing to a specific independent farm that represents less than 1% of the U.S. iceberg lettuce supply.

How Many People Got Sick?

As of July 16, 2026, the FDA reported that at least 1,644 people had been infected with Cyclospora after eating food at Taco Bell. The outbreak includes 94 people who were hospitalized and no deaths.

The Taco Bell cases are part of a much larger national surge. CDC surveillance reported roughly 7,000 cyclosporiasis illnesses across 34 states as of July 13, 2026, combining about 1,645 lab-confirmed cases with more than 5,100 additional cases still under analysis, and at least 141 hospitalizations.

Because the CDC assumes about a 6-week lag between the time when people get sick and when their cases are reported to health officials, it expects the count to keep climbing. In plain terms, the official totals almost certainly under-count how many people this outbreak has already sickened.

Another issue is that individual states are reporting far higher local numbers, because they count both probable and confirmed cases while the FDA and CDC count confirmed cases only. For example, the state of Michigan alone reported 4,312 cases and 102 hospitalizations by July 16, 2026.

What Is Cyclospora and What Are the Symptoms?

Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness that is spread by a microscopic parasite, Cyclospora cayetanensis. According to the CDC, symptoms usually begin about 1 week after a person swallows the parasite, though it can start anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks+ after swallowing the parasite.

The parasite does not spread from person to person, which points investigators toward a shared food or water source. The symptoms of cyclosporiasis may include:

• Watery diarrhea (the most common symptom)
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Cramping
• Bloating and increased gas
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Vomiting, body aches, headache, or low-grade fever (less common)

Why Is It Hard To Diagnose?

Standard stool tests do not look for Cyclospora, so a provider has to order the test by name. Another issue is that without treatment, symptoms can last from a few days to a month or longer. The symptoms can seem to go away and then return. If your diarrhea has dragged on for more than a few days after eating at Taco Bell, it is worth asking your doctor about cyclospora specifically.

Has Taylor Farms Been Tied to Cyclospora Before?

Yes. In 2013, a bagged salad mix from a Taylor Farms de Mexico processing facility was linked to a cyclospora outbreak that sickened 631 people across 25 states. Many people got sick after eating at Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants. For readers who followed our earlier coverage, this repeat pattern is part of why our firm handles cyclosporiasis food poisoning claims tied to imported produce.

Has a Lawsuit Been Filed Over the Taco Bell Outbreak?

Yes. On July 17, 2026, the first lawsuit arising from this outbreak was filed in Mahoning County, Ohio, against Taco Bell and Taylor Farms, on behalf of a 27-year U.S. Army veteran who was hospitalized.

According to the lawsuit, he ate Taco Supremes from a Taco Bell location in Youngstown, Ohio in mid-June. He soon developed severe symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloating, nausea, dizziness, and a low-grade fever, and was hospitalized for 2 days before a laboratory confirmed cyclospora.

What Should I Do If I Got Sick?

The FDA is advising people in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia not to eat food items with shredded iceberg lettuce from Mexico that were served at Taco Bell.

Anyone with cyclosporiasis symptoms should contact a health care provider to report symptoms and get treatment, especially if they ate shredded iceberg lettuce in the 2 weeks before getting sick.

If you ate at Taco Bell and later tested positive for cyclospora, the timing matters. Keep your receipts, app and delivery records, and any photos of your order, along with your medical records and a list of your costs. These documents help connect your illness to the implicated food.

Do I Have a Taco Bell Cyclospora Lawsuit?

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Taco Bell Cyclospora injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know got sick with cyclospora after eating shredded iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Food Poisoning Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

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