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Mexico says FDA lettuce probe did not conclusively identify contamination source
The agency said strong traceback evidence tied 12,883 illnesses across 21 states to recalled shredded iceberg lettuce, while Mexican regulators disputed the contamination source.
- On Friday, the FDA closed its investigation into the Cyclospora outbreak, reporting a strong epidemiological link to recalled shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico while acknowledging insufficient evidence to determine how contamination occurred.
- Investigators identified two positive environmental samples for the parasite in Mexico, including one from wastewater at a Taylor Farms processing facility and another from a drainage ditch at an iceberg lettuce farm.
- According to the CDC, the multi-state outbreak that ended September 11 resulted in 12,883 confirmed cases across 21 states, causing 570 hospitalizations and two deaths—the largest Cyclospora event in modern U.S. history.
- Contesting these findings, Mexico's food-safety regulator, Cofepris, stated on October 3 that environmental samples alone do not constitute conclusive evidence that agricultural products were the specific source of contamination.
- Despite closing the probe, the FDA plans to continue follow-up work with international partners to inform prevention efforts, emphasizing that officials remain confident all recalled iceberg lettuce is off the market.
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Taylor Farms announced on Thursday that it will indefinitely suspend the collection and processing of iceberg lettuce from central Mexico destined for sale in the United States or Canada during the CDC-defined ciclosporiasis season, following a recent outbreak that affected thousands of people. On October 2, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it had completed its investigation into an outbreak of ciclosporiasis that occur…
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Total News Sources12
Leaning Left1Leaning Right2Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution57% Center
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources are Center
57% Center
14%
C 57%
R 29%
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