July 18, 2026

Taylor Farms recalls Mexican iceberg lettuce over cyclospora as Michigan tops 5,000 cases

The FDA names Taylor Farms de Mexico as the single supplier behind the five-state Taco Bell outbreak, the company pulls all central-Mexico iceberg lettuce from the U.S. market and tells the agency it will initiate a recall, Taco Bell completes a nationwide removal, and Michigan alone surpasses 5,000 confirmed cases. Plus CPSC warns about 700 Melinora heated blankets can overheat, melt, and burn, Currey & Company recalls 447 Nottaway chandeliers over an electrocution hazard, and two more Amazon-sold adult bed rails are recalled over entrapment and asphyxiation.

The biggest food safety story in the country finally has a name on it and a recall attached to it. For a week the cyclospora outbreak had no supplier and no recall. On Friday afternoon that changed.

Taylor Farms pulls all central-Mexico iceberg lettuce over cyclospora

Taylor Fresh Foods confirmed Friday, July 17 that its subsidiary Taylor Farms de Mexico is "voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market," and the FDA said Taylor Farms told the agency it "would initiate a recall" with more details to come.

The FDA's traceback had identified a single supplier of iceberg lettuce from Mexico used at Taco Bell locations where sick people ate, and on Friday the agency named that supplier as Taylor Farms de Mexico. The traceback points to "a specific independent farm that represents less than 1 percent of the U.S.'s iceberg lettuce supply" as the potential source, according to Taylor Farms' statement. The lettuce was produced as 5-pound bags at a Taylor Farms facility in Guanajuato, Mexico, and distributed widely through the food-service company Sysco, which halted distribution of all Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce from Mexico on Thursday. Sysco sends those bags to hospitals, ballparks, and fast-food chains, so the investigation is now tracing where else the lettuce landed.

The FDA's standing advisory is narrow and specific: "Do not eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Mexico served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia." The CDC says shredded iceberg lettuce sold in grocery stores or served at other restaurants is not affected by this specific outbreak, though the agency warns that "additional implicated brands, restaurants, retailers, or distribution channels may be identified" as the investigation continues. The FDA has also increased border screening for products implicated in the outbreak.

Taco Bell said Friday it has completed removal of the affected Taylor Farms lettuce from its restaurants and pulled the ingredient from its supply chain nationwide indefinitely, which means a Taco Bell meal today is not the meal the advisory covers. The contaminated dates run from illness onset May 13 through July 13.

The numbers are still climbing. The CDC counts 1,644 cases tied to the five-state Taco Bell outbreak with 94 hospitalizations and no deaths, but the agency's tally lags badly because it stopped tracking cyclospora and seven other foodborne pathogens on July 1, 2025. State totals are far higher. Michigan alone reports more than 5,000 confirmed cases as of Friday, up from 4,312 cases and 102 hospitalizations the day before. Ohio reports 1,244 cases, up from fewer than 200 at the start of July. Across all 34 states the CDC estimates nearly 7,000 infections, and officials say the Taco Bell cluster is only one of several overlapping outbreaks.

Cyclospora cayetanensis is a parasite spread through food or water contaminated with feces. It causes weeks of explosive diarrhea, fatigue, and nausea. Washing produce does not remove it; cooking to 158 degrees Fahrenheit kills it. There is no routine test for it, but it is treatable with antibiotics, so anyone with persistent diarrhea and fatigue after eating at an affected location should ask a doctor to test specifically for cyclospora.

This is not Taylor Farms' first outbreak tied to its Guanajuato operation. The 2013 cyclospora outbreak sickened 631 people in 25 states and was traced to salad mix from the same Taylor Farms de Mexico plant. Taylor Farms also supplied the slivered onions identified as the likely source of the 2024 E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders, which killed one person and sickened 104. One piece of context worth knowing: the FDA's Food Traceability Final Rule, which would require standardized records tracking high-risk foods through the supply chain, was supposed to take effect January 20, 2026. The compliance deadline was pushed back 30 months to July 2028, and investigators say that kind of record-keeping would have made finding the specific farm faster.

CPSC warns 700 Melinora heated blankets can overheat, melt, and burn

CPSC posted a warning Thursday, July 16, urging consumers to stop using Melinora Electric Heated Blankets immediately because the internal wire heating elements can overheat and melt through the polyester fabric, creating a burn and fire hazard. The warning is not a recall. The manufacturer, Leevana Inc., has been unresponsive to CPSC requests for a recall, so there is no refund and no remedy path. CPSC's instruction is to stop using the blanket, dispose of it, and not sell or give it away.

About 700 blankets are covered, sold on Amazon from February 2025 through October 2025. They are gray, machine-washable polyester fleece with an attached white remote and 10 heat settings. CPSC is aware of five reports of the blankets smoking, melting, or burning, including one burn injury. Report any incident to SaferProducts.gov.

This is the sixth heated-blanket action CPSC has logged in recent years, after InvoSpa, Bedsure, MaxKare, Sunbeam, and Berkshire Blanket. If you bought a gray fleece heated blanket on Amazon in 2025 under the Melinora name, the safe move this weekend is to unplug it, cut the cord, and throw it out.

Currey & Company recalls 447 Nottaway chandeliers over electrocution hazard

Currey & Company, of Atlanta, is recalling about 447 Nottaway chandeliers because the ground wire was not properly connected to the metal frame, which means the frame may not be grounded. If an energized conductor comes loose and contacts the frame, the lack of a grounding path can create an electric shock hazard serious enough to kill. CPSC posted the recall Thursday, July 16.

The recall covers two-tier and three-tier iron-and-brass Nottaway chandeliers in gold, bronze, and champagne finishes, sold nationwide and online from November 19, 2025 through May 6, 2026 for between $3,500 and $5,200. Only chandeliers with no visible screw on the outside of the top distributor cap are included. Model numbers 9000-1129, 9000-1130, 9000-1254, 9000-1255, and 9000-1314 are printed on a label atop the ceiling canopy. Currey found the defect in an internal quality review. No injuries or shock incidents have been reported.

The remedy is a full free replacement chandelier, including shipping and installation at no cost. Currey will also reimburse the cost of a licensed electrician to remove the old fixture and install the new one, plus a prepaid return label. Stop using the chandelier and cut the power at the breaker first. Contact Currey at 800-899-7047, recall@curreyco.com, or curreyandcompany.com/legalities/recall.

Two more Amazon adult bed rails recalled over entrapment and asphyxiation

The July 16 CPSC batch included two more adult portable bed rails sold on Amazon that violate the mandatory federal standard for adult portable bed rails, both posing an entrapment and asphyxiation hazard that can kill. The pattern is now long enough to be the story: at least nine Amazon-sold bed-rail brands have been pulled in the past year for the same failure.

Noerishia adult portable bed rails (recall 26-627, about 504 units) were sold on Amazon from March through April 2026 for about $100. They are black, 24 inches wide by 36 inches tall, carbon steel, model KDB-504B, batch SO2025111104. The importer is Hurzein (Dongguan Shinneng Huizheng Network Technology Co.). No incidents or injuries reported. Stop use, cut the grey foam handgrip padding and the securing straps in half, photograph the destroyed rail, and email it to NoerishiaBedRailsRecall@outlook.com for a refund.

MNIENT adult portable bed rails (recall 26-630, about 330 units) were sold on Amazon from January through March 2026 for about $66. They are white, 13 inches wide by 39 inches tall, model LQX-110055, with black foam grips and a black fabric pouch. The importer is Zhuzhoushizuisuanshangmaoyouxiangongsi. This one fails three ways: entrapment and asphyxiation, plus a fall hazard from inadequate stability and retention strap, plus a laceration hazard from incorrectly sized push pins. No incidents or injuries reported. Stop use, cut the foam handle padding, photograph it, and email mnientrecall@outlook.com for a refund.

If you bought an adult bed rail on Amazon for an elderly parent or a recovering patient in the past year, check the brand against the CPSC bed-rail page. The defect is the same every time: a user gets trapped between the rail and the mattress and cannot breathe.

Tracking

Kia Telluride fire recall, VINs now live. Vehicle Identification Numbers for the 462,869-vehicle 2020 through 2024 Telluride fire recall (NHTSA 26V430, recall-of-recall replacing 24V407) became searchable on NHTSA.gov/recalls on July 17. Park outside and away from structures until the dealer installs the electronic fuse assembly. Owner letters mail August 13. Kia customer service: 1-800-333-4542, recall SC374. If you had the 2024 fix done, you still need this new one.

Cyclospora, nationwide. The Taco Bell-Taylor Farms cluster is one piece of a 34-state outbreak the CDC estimates at nearly 7,000 infections with 141 hospitalizations and no deaths. Michigan advice for the broader outbreak still stands: prefer whole-head lettuce, discard the outer layers, wash thoroughly, and avoid bagged and pre-mixed salad kits. CDC cyclosporiasis page.

Clover Hill cheese listeria. Outbreak still open at 12 illnesses, 10 hospitalizations, 1 death in Maryland, unchanged since late June. The La Ceiba requeson (sold under La Colonia and Selectos Latinos brands) hit its July 10 expiration date a week ago, so throw it out if any is still in the fridge. It may have been repacked under Kesso, Quesos la Ricura, Izalco, De mi Pueblo, or Rio Lindo. CDC outbreak page.

Nara Organics infant formula botulism. Holds at 4 hospitalized infants (2 California, 1 Pennsylvania, 1 Washington). No new cases in the past month. The FDA's July 13 letter to the infant formula industry urging stronger supplier oversight was the last development. Recall is all lots, sold at Target and Nara.com from July 2025 through June 2026. CDC investigation page.

California Dairies powdered milk salmonella. Now in its fourth month. The original April 20 recall covered 2.7 million pounds of nonfat dry milk, with at least eight downstream brands affected including Zapp's and Dirty chips, Ghirardelli mixes, and Motor City Pizza 5 Cheese Bread. Zero illnesses reported. FDA major recall page.