The FDA test for cyclospora on Taylor Farms’ lettuce showed a false positive. This comes after the FDA initially said one of the iceberg lettuce products was ‘confirmed positive’ for the ‘explosive diarrhea’ parasite.
With this announcement from the FDA, which Taylor Farms confirmed via a statement of their own, the source of the outbreak remains unknown.
Taylor Farms, in its statement, said “Today, FDA apologized to us.”
“Yesterday, FDA informed Taylor Fresh Foods that one of its iceberg lettuce products from central Mexico had a “confirmed positive” test for cyclospora. Today, we were informed that FDA made a mistake, and this was a false positive. To be clear, at this moment, FDA has not identified a single positive product test result for Cyclospora,” the statement added.
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“Acting on initial information provided by health officials, in an abundance of caution, we completed a voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce from central Mexico. Recalled product was limited to iceberg lettuce grown and processed in central Mexico,” it further said, reiterating what they’d announced in their previous statement.
“All other Taylor Farms products, including all Taylor Farms brand products, are not involved in the recall. Our thoughts remain with everyone who has fallen ill in this outbreak. We are committed to working with public health authorities as the ongoing outbreak investigation continues,” Taylor Farms concluded.
News of ‘false positive’ sparks fears
Meanwhile, with no origin traced yet, many began to panic about the cyclospora outbreak. “The FDA currently has no positive sample results and Taylor Farms has already recalled all their lettuce across 27 states,” one noted.
A chef meanwhile offered some advice “only eat salad from whole lettuce heads grown in USA.” Meanwhile, some still expressed that they did not trust Taylor Farms’ products even though the FDA found nothing wrong with their lettuce. “I don’t even know why they’re doing all this because at least at the grocery store, I won’t trust Taylor Farms anymore,” one person angrily wrote.
The cyclosporiasis outbreak has been going on in multiple states and is linked to the Cyclospora cayetanensis parasite. Many people have been since May.
While Michigan reported a significant number of cases, it is among a total of 30 states impacted by this outbreak. Ohio, Illinois, and New York also reported similar cases. The symptoms of cyclosporiasis include prolonged watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, fatigue, and weight loss. While the infection is rarely fatal, there might be dehydration and hospital care could be needed, especially for individuals who are vulnerable.
