Cyclospora-Linked Lettuce Was Sent to 27 States, Including to Walmart and Jack in the Box
Given the lack of details provided by Taylor Farms, CR’s experts advise consumers in those states to discard all iceberg lettuce out of an abundance of caution
Taylor Farms, one of the country’s largest producers of salad greens, said Friday that it is recalling from the U.S. market all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico after health officials identified a farm in the region as a potential source of the outbreak that has sickened thousands of people across the U.S. this summer.
The recalled iceberg lettuce products were sent to Walmart stores, Jack in the Box restaurants, and major food service distributors, including Sysco, in 27 states between June 29 and July 16. The states that received the implicated lettuce, which the Food and Drug Administration said was being recalled due to possible contamination with the parasite cyclospora, were: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
The list of implicated products includes Walmart’s house-brand Marketside, a Walmart spokesperson confirmed. The company has removed four bagged iceberg lettuce salad products from select Walmart stores in the 27 states implicated by the recall, spokesperson Rachael Simmons told CR. The removed products are 12- and 24-ounce bags of Marketside Bagged Iceberg Salad (UPC: 681131328944 and 681131328951, respectively) and 8- and 16-ounce bags of Marketside Bagged Shredded Iceberg Salad (UPC: 681131328968 and 681131532099). The products have “best by” dates ranging from July 18 to Aug. 3, 2026.
Walmart’s Simmons said that “there have been no confirmed illnesses associated with these products at this time,” and that Walmart removed the products from its stores in the states listed “out of an abundance of caution” after receiving notice from its supplier. “Customers who purchased these products should not consume them and should discard them or return them to their local Walmart store for a full refund,” Simmons said.
Fast food restaurant chain Jack in the Box also received the implicated shredded lettuce, which was used at Jack in the Box locations in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, a spokesperson told CR. “We learned of the potential issue on Thursday, prior to the FDA’s announcement, and immediately notified restaurants that received shredded iceberg lettuce through our Texas distribution center to remove the product,” said Jack in the Box spokesperson Casey Middleton. “At this time, there have been no known illnesses associated with food served at Jack in the Box from these locations in connection with the FDA’s ongoing investigation.”
The recall notices posted by Taylor Farms and the FDA are notably sparse on the essential details consumers need to easily identify affected products. The recall notice does not list the full brand names of the implicated products, and instead lists only what appear to be the abbreviations used internally by Taylor Farms to identify brands.
Walmart’s Marketside house brand, for instance, was listed as “MKTSD” and Sysco, the U.S.’s largest food distributor, was listed as “SY.” Jack in the Box was listed as “JB.” All three companies confirmed that their products were part of the recall after being contacted by Consumer Reports. CR is working to confirm the identities of the five additional brands whose names are abbreviated in the recall notice. Taylor Farms did not immediately respond to CR’s questions about the identity of these brands.
Given the lack of details, CR’s food safety experts advise consumers in the 27 states where Taylor Farms’ products were distributed to discard all iceberg lettuce out of an abundance of caution.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on July 14 that it has identified at least 1,645 lab-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis, a disease caused by the parasite cyclospora, and is working to confirm an additional 5,100 reports that have occurred since May. The actual number of infections is almost certainly much higher. On July 17, Michigan alone reported 5,002 cases of cyclosporiasis and 102 hospitalizations.
“What Taylor Farms released and the FDA simply reposted gives very little information to consumers except the state where the lettuce went,” said Bill Marler, a food safety lawyer in Seattle. “No lot codes and no names of Taylor Farms customers, only letters—not very helpful to the average consumer.”
Editor’s Note: This article was updated on July 18 to include newly released details about the recall. This is a developing story, and CR will continue to update the article as more information becomes available.
