Recent recalls and illness outbreaks, from an explosive diarrhea parasite linked to vegetables to an egg-related swath of salmonella poisonings, have some Americans rethinking their grocery lists.
Chief on consumers’ minds is cyclosporiasis, an unpleasant intestinal illness caused by the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis, which has recently dominated headlines amid a tidal wave of cases. Laboratory-confirmed cyclosporiasis infections topped more than 4,000 between May 1 and July 20, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s last weekly update. Nearly 2,000 of those cases were part of an outbreak centered in Michigan and traced by the Food and Drug Administration back to lettuce grown in Mexico by agricultural giant Taylor Farms.
The actual number of suspected cases nationwide surpasses 10,000, according to the CDC and state reports.
As a result, roughly 40% of Americans are cutting back on the purchase and consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables, according to a CBS News-YouGov poll released July 26. While the U.S. case count is abnormally high this year, cyclosporiasis is often associated with seasonal, summertime surges connected primarily to fresh produce – hence shoppers’ wariness around the whole fresh foods aisle.
Produce isn’t the only staple contending with bad PR at the moment, however. Foodborne illnesses have also come for two of America’s favorite proteins this month: eggs and bacon. Here’s what to know about recent recalls.
Lettuce Recall
Lettuce has dominated food headlines this month after the FDA first named Taco Bell and eventually its lettuce supplier, Taylor Farms, as the likely culprit behind the largest cyclospora case cluster in the current series of outbreaks. Taylor Farms initiated a voluntary recall July 17, saying it was removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market “out of an abundance of caution” in an action “prompted” by the outbreak.
The company then said in a July 19 statement that the FDA had “apologized” for a “false positive” when testing its iceberg lettuce products from central Mexico for cyclospora, an assertion disputed by a White House official who later told USA TODAY that Taylor Farms’ claims were “actively aggravating administration officials.” The FDA also clarified in a July 20 X post that the false-positive lab sample “DOES NOT change the basis for FDA’s ongoing outbreak investigation or the overwhelming epidemiological data supporting the current voluntary recall by Taylor Farms.”
The recall is still active and covers all shredded iceberg lettuce products grown in Mexico, many of which are sold under different brand names at major retailers like Walmart.
What to do: Consumers who have purchased the recalled iceberg lettuce should not eat it and should throw it away or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund, according to the FDA. Those with symptoms, including watery and frequent or “explosive” diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, stomach cramps/pain, bloating, increased gas, nausea and fatigue, should keep an eye out for signs of dehydration and contact a medical professional with any concerns.
Egg Recall
More than a million and a half eggs are also subject to a current recall after being linked to an ongoing salmonella outbreak that has sickened 98 people across 17 states as of July 24.
Midwest Poultry Services L.P. issued a recall July 22 for nearly 1.6 million dozen white and brown cage-free eggs from Texas, after the FDA traced illnesses back to its products.
The recall covers white shell eggs and brown cage-free shell eggs produced between June 6 and July 3, 2026, with sell-by or best-by dates from July 20 through Aug. 17. They may be sold under brand names Country Morning, Cal-Maine Sunups, Brookshire’s, Simple Truth and Kroger.
What to do: Do not eat, sell or serve these eggs, the FDA warns. Return them for a refund or dispose of them. If you find eggs in your fridge without a label, treat them as potentially contaminated and throw them away. Clean and sanitize any surfaces they touched. If you experience symptoms like diarrhea, fever or stomach cramps within six to 72 hours of eating eggs, contact a doctor. Severe cases may require hospitalization, especially for young children, older adults and immunocompromised individuals.
Bacon Recall
More than 12,000 pounds of raw bacon were recalled July 24 after a routine inspection by the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) found it had not been properly inspected upon importation from Canada.
This recall, which is the result of a technicality and not an associated illness, includes 12,036 pounds of bacon imported by Maple Leaf Foods. It covers packages produced between June 9 and 15 and sold in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. It is sold under two brand names, Royale and Top Valu.
What to do: Consumers who purchased the bacon should throw it away or return it to the place of purchase, according to the FSIS.
Contributing: Melina Khan, Greta Cross, Mike Snider, Julia Gomez, Anthony Thompson, Sara Moniuszko, USA TODAY
Add a Comment