Health & Science

The FDA Says It Did Not ‘Officially Apologize’ to Taylor Farms

The retracted “false positive” cyclospora test has not changed initial investigation findings pointing to the farm’s iceberg lettuce.

Mexico Taylor Farms

Taylor Farms, a multinational produce behemoth, was implicated in the outbreak of the diarrhea-causing parasite. Guillermo Arias/ASSOCIATED PRESS

By Margaret Manto

July 20, 2026 04:45 p.m.

Confusion swirled around the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak on Monday after the produce supplier linked to the illness pushed back against the Food and Drug Administration.

FDA officials said in a press call on Monday that its investigation still points to Taylor Farms’ iceberg lettuce as the source of the outbreak, despite the company claiming the agency apologized to it for announcing a false positive result on a test for cyclospora in Taylor Farms’ lettuce.

“We did not offer an official apology, but did explain factually the issues,” an FDA official said.