FDA confirms Cyclospora on Taylor Farms lettuce as Walmart Marketside bags join the recall

The FDA's import surveillance finds the parasite on a Taylor Farms de Mexico sample, the recall list fills in with Walmart Marketside bags sold in 15 states, and 27 states received foodservice product beyond the FDA's narrow five-state Taco Bell advisory. Plus Ford recalls 288,314 2016 to 2019 Explorers again because the 2021 roof rail fix did not hold, with VINs live now even for owners who think their SUV was already repaired.

The biggest food safety story in the country moved from traceback to confirmation this weekend. On July 18 the FDA announced that a sample of shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico tested positive for Cyclospora, the parasite behind the outbreak that has sickened thousands across 34 states. The sample was collected during targeted import surveillance as part of the outbreak investigation. The positive lot is detained, and the FDA says it is not part of the current recall. Taylor Farms is now working to determine whether any of that implicated lot is still in commerce or in consumers' homes.

That lab confirmation landed alongside the actual recall list, which until Friday had been promised but not spelled out. The consumer products now named are sold at Walmart under the Marketside brand: 12 ounce and 24 ounce Iceberg Salad, and 8 ounce and 16 ounce Shredded Lettuce, all with Best if Used By dates from July 18 through August 3, 2026. Walmart confirmed it is pulling those four products and is offering full refunds at stores, with questions at 1-800-925-6278. Some of those best by dates have already passed, which is the reason to check the crisper drawer now rather than assume the bag is gone.

Taylor Farms lettuce recall: what to throw out

Taylor Fresh Foods distributed the recalled iceberg products from June 29 through July 16. The retail Marketside bags reached Walmart stores in 15 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The foodservice side is wider. Recalled product went to 27 states: the 15 above plus Connecticut, Iowa, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. Twenty five shredded lettuce and salad mix products are on the list, sold under eight brand codes (CV, JB, MARK, MKTSD, PK, SUB, SY, and TF) and packed mostly in four five pound bags per case for restaurants, cafeterias, and distributors. Sysco, the largest U.S. food distributor, has halted all Taylor Farms iceberg from Mexico and told customers to destroy what they hold. The full lot by lot table is on Taylor Farms' recall page and the FDA's outbreak page.

The gap between the FDA's consumer advisory and the recall's reach is the detail worth pausing on. The FDA and CDC have formally warned consumers in only five states, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia, not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell. The recall geography is 27 states. Residents of the other 22 received recalled product with no official government instruction to discard it. The CDC says shredded lettuce sold in grocery stores or served at other restaurants is not implicated in the confirmed Taco Bell cluster, and Taylor Farms says none of its branded salad kits contain iceberg lettuce, so the kits are not part of the recall.

What to do: if you have a recalled Marketside bag, throw it away or return it to Walmart for a full refund, and wash anything the lettuce touched. If you ate at a Taco Bell in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, or West Virginia in recent weeks, or ate shredded iceberg from any recalled product, and you develop prolonged watery diarrhea, fatigue, or stomach cramps, see a doctor and ask specifically for a Cyclospora stool test. The infection needs a specific test and is treated with antibiotics. Taylor Farms' customer care line is 855-455-0098.

The case counts keep climbing. Michigan reported 5,002 patients with 102 hospitalizations as of July 17, against a typical 40 to 50 by this point in a normal year. Ohio is above 1,240, Indiana above 320, Kentucky above 190, and West Virginia reports 139. The CDC's five state Taco Bell cluster stands at 1,644 cases with 94 hospitalizations and no deaths, with illness onset from May 13 to July 13. The CDC's national tally lags badly because the agency stopped tracking cyclospora and seven other pathogens on July 1, 2025; state totals already exceed 7,000. At least three lawsuits have been filed in Ohio courts, including one naming Taylor Farms directly on behalf of a Texas veteran hospitalized after eating at a Youngstown Taco Bell.

Ford Explorer recalled again over roof rails that can fly off at speed

Ford is recalling 288,314 model year 2016 through 2019 Explorer SUVs because the roof rail covers can loosen and detach while the vehicle is moving, creating a road hazard and raising the risk of a crash. If that sounds familiar, it should. Ford ran nearly this exact recall in 2021, told regulators and owners it was handled, and is now back on a big slice of the same vehicles because the earlier fix did not hold.

NHTSA campaign 26V448 (Ford's internal number 26S54) covers Explorers built from September 19, 2014 through March 3, 2019, with roof rail covers in one of five finishes: black painted, silver painted, absolute black painted, satin chrome, or chrome. Because Explorers are not built in VIN order, year and trim alone do not tell you whether your specific SUV is included. The only reliable way to confirm is to enter your 17 digit VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. VINs became searchable there on July 16, five weeks before the first notification letters go out.

The recall of a recall is the story here. Ford's 2020 customer satisfaction program 20N11 used a two part epoxy adhesive to secure loose covers. The 2021 safety recall 21V316 (616,967 vehicles) replaced that with plastic push pin fasteners for painted covers, and that push pin fix is the one Ford says is still performing as intended. What failed is the epoxy path. Ford told NHTSA the adhesive repair was "repair technician sensitive," meaning some technicians did not replace damaged retention clips, or applied the wrong quantity of adhesive in the wrong location with improper curing. The satin and chrome plated covers, which Ford excluded from the 2021 recall because warranty data showed a lower detachment rate, are now back in too, because heat cycles and solar loading loosened their clips over time.

In March 2026, NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation handed Ford 46 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires alleging continued looseness and detachment, including on vehicles already repaired under both earlier programs. Ford approved the new field action on July 7. The automaker is aware of one alleged crash involving a detached cover on a vehicle that had been previously repaired, and reports no injuries. Ford estimates about 1 percent of the recalled population actually has the defect.

What to do: check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls now, even if you believe your Explorer was already fixed, because a completed recall on paper does not mean the defect is gone forever. Warning signs include increased wind noise, squeaks and rattles from the roof area, or a visible gap or misalignment between the cover and the roofline. Dealers will inspect the covers and, if the push pin fasteners are missing, add them and replace any broken clips or damaged covers, free of charge. Dealers were notified July 16. Interim owner letters mail August 24 through 28, and remedy letters follow September 21 through 25, because the repair parts are not ready until September. Ford's recall line is 1-866-436-7332, reference number 26S54. The NHTSA vehicle safety hotline is 888-327-4236.

Tracking

Kia Telluride fire recall (26V430). VINs for the 462,869 vehicle 2020 through 2024 Telluride fire recall are now searchable at nhtsa.gov/recalls. This is the recall of a recall, replacing the 2024 campaign 24V407, so owners who had the earlier fix done need the electronic fuse installed and should park outside until then. Owner letters mail August 13. Kia customer service is 1-800-333-4542, recall number SC374.

Cyclospora outbreak. See the lead above. Taylor Farms de Mexico is now the confirmed supplier, the FDA has a positive Cyclospora test on a detained lot, and the recall list is live. The CDC's tracking lag since July 1, 2025 means the agency's numbers are well below state totals.

Clover Hill soft cheese listeria. Still open at 12 illnesses, 10 hospitalizations, and 1 death in Maryland, unchanged since late June. The La Ceiba requeson sold at La Colonia and Selectos Latinos passed its July 10 expiration nine days ago, so if any is still in the fridge, throw it out. The cheese may have been repacked under the Kesso, Quesos la Ricura, Izalco, De mi Pueblo, or Rio Lindo labels. The CDC page is at cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/soft-cheese-06-26.

Nara Organics infant formula botulism. Holds at 4 hospitalized infants (2 in California, 1 in Pennsylvania, 1 in Washington), with no new cases in the past month. The FDA's July 13 letter to the infant formula industry remains the last major development. The June 13 recall covers all lots sold at Target, Target.com, and Nara.com from July 2025 through June 2026. The CDC investigation page is at cdc.gov/botulism/outbreaks-investigations/infant-formula-june-2026.

California Dairies powdered milk salmonella. Now in its fourth month, the April 20 recall of 2.7 million pounds of nonfat dry milk and buttermilk has pulled in at least eight downstream brands including Zapp's and Dirty chips, Ghirardelli mixes, and Motor City Pizza Five Cheese Bread. No illnesses reported. The FDA's major recall page is continuously updated at fda.gov.