“We do have the outbreak under control,” Kennedy said. “We have an extensive forensics, epidemiological forensics, and we’ve identified the source of the outbreak. We and the companies that are involved have implemented a recall.”<\/p>\n
![\"Secretary](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/19552110_rfk-jr-file-img.png\"\/)
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Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in Washington.<\/p>\n
AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin<\/p>\n
The CDC and U.S. Food and Drug Administration have linked the outbreak that has sickened at least 1,600 people in\u00a0five states to shredded iceberg lettuce at some Taco Bell locations. The lettuce was supplied by Taylor Farms and sourced from central Mexico.<\/p>\n
The company has voluntarily recalled<\/a> dozens of lettuce products across 27 states and said it won’t source iceberg lettuce from central Mexico for “the rest of the growing season.”<\/p>\n Over the weekend, the FDA said a sample of shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms, which was not part of the recall, tested positive. However, the agency later clarified that, during a re-review of the sample results, it determined the result was a false positive. Taylor Farms issued a\u00a0statement<\/a>\u00a0on Sunday saying “we were informed that FDA made a mistake.”<\/p>\n Health officials are continuing to investigate other cases as well as any other potential sources of the illnesses. No other sources have been identified for the domestically-acquired infections being reported in 29 other states<\/a>.<\/p>\n Some lawmakers, including Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., have criticized the federal response to the outbreak, accusing Kennedy. of “undermining food safety” with recent changes to food safety programs.<\/p>\n In a letter sent to Kennedy last week, Ossoff said the CDC’s Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, known as FoodNet, no longer requires reporting the parasite that causes cyclosporiasis.<\/p>\n The CDC ended mandatory reporting last year. \u00a0Beginning July 1, 2025, reporting became optional for all pathogens except Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, according to the CDC<\/a>.<\/p>\n