07/20/2026
BREAKING Now: No one has been cleared for Parasite,FDA
Cyclospora lettuce findings REVERSED after Taylor Farms met with the Trump White House.
Money talks. Sick people, apparently, don’t.
More than 7,000 Americans have been sickened with cyclosporiasis, a parasite that can cause severe diarrhea, and over 140 have been hospitalized. Investigators traced the outbreak to shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms to Taco Bell, and FDA testing initially reported a positive Cyclospora sample.
After Taylor Farms executives met privately with White House and FDA officials to challenge the findings, the FDA reversed course, calling the positive result a “false positive” and saying no Taylor Farms product had tested positive.
The timing has raised serious questions. In March 2025, Taylor Fresh Foods donated $1 million to Trump-aligned MAGA Inc. days after the FDA delayed the Food Traceability Rule, a major food safety reform. During the outbreak, Taylor Farms also hired a former Trump White House official. Then came the private meeting-and the FDA’s reversal.investigators have not cleared Taylor Farms. Officials still believe the same supply chain caused the outbreak and continue working to remove implicated products. The epidemiological link to Taco Bell’s lettuce remains unchanged. Only the lab confirmation was withdrawn.
Meanwhile, thousands remain sick, and the CDC expects more cases through August.
Critics say this is regulatory capture in action: political access by corporations and influence overshadowing public health.