Mexico City — Mexico’s Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) announced that tests on lettuce from Taylor Farms Mexico returned negative for the Cyclospora cayetanensis parasite, following a US outbreak linked to the company.
In a joint statement with the Health Ministry, Cofepris said that molecular analysis using real-time PCR at its National Reference Laboratory found no Cyclospora in 10 samples of raw materials and finished products.
Between July 18 and 20, Cofepris inspectors visited the plant in central Mexico and collected 10 iceberg lettuce samples — five from raw materials and five from finished products — along with four water samples. The water samples also tested negative for fecal coliforms and met national physicochemical standards.
The Health Ministry noted that the company provided evidence of safety controls throughout its production chain, including HACCP, Codex Alimentarius, ISO, Primus GFS, and SQF certifications, as well as a traceability system that identified the lot detained at the Laredo, Texas, border crossing.
Mexican officials said that sample from that lot later produced a false positive, which the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) referenced in its July 19 update.
During the inspection, epidemiologists from the Health Ministry reported no diarrheal disease outbreaks or health issues among plant workers that required intervention.
The investigation continues in the United States, where the FDA is still probing the source of the cyclosporiasis outbreak. However, Mexican authorities maintain that evidence so far shows no presence of the parasite in lettuce produced by Taylor Farms in Mexico.
Earlier, Taylor Farms temporarily closed a processing plant in central Mexico after US health authorities linked it to the outbreak. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the outbreak has caused 4,173 confirmed cases across 41 states and 308 hospitalizations, with over 7,400 additional cases under investigation, primarily in Michigan and Ohio.
