Taylor Farms CEO responds after FDA concludes cyclospora outbreak investigation.

On Oct. 2, the Food and Drug Administration concluded its investigation into an outbreak of cyclospora infections, a diarrheal illness, linked to iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico and recalled by Taylor Farms de Mexico. This followed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s announcement on Sept. 11 that the outbreak, which affected multiple states and sickened nearly 13,000 people over the summer, was officially over.

While there were multiple cyclospora outbreaks during the season, which typically runs from May to August, an FDA traceback investigation identified several farms and a processing facility in Mexico that supplied the recalled lettuce distributed by Salinas-based Taylor Fresh Foods.

On Oct. 8, Taylor Farms CEO and founder Bruce Taylor published a letter reflecting on this summer’s cyclospora season and their link to one of the outbreaks.

“Throughout this summer, our thoughts have been with the people and families impacted by the cyclospora outbreaks,” Taylor wrote. “We have been deeply concerned for those who became ill and understand the worry and frustration this has caused. “

The FDA notes in its Oct. 2 update that there is currently not enough evidence to conclusively determine how contamination occurred in this outbreak. “The positive samples show that cyclospora was present in the environment where lettuce was grown and processed,” the announcement reads.

The FDA said that two samples collected during onsite inspections in Mexico tested positive for cyclospora. One came from a tank holding wastewater leaving the Taylor Farms de Mexico processing facility, while the other was collected from a drainage ditch at an iceberg lettuce farm identified in the FDA’s traceback investigation.

In its letter, Taylor Farms outlined steps the company is taking to help prevent future outbreaks.

The company plans to indefinitely suspend the harvesting and processing of iceberg lettuce from central Mexico for sale in the U.S. and Canada during the CDC-defined U.S. cyclospora season, which coincides with the rainy season in central Mexico.

The company also plans to expand its existing year-round health monitoring, increase irrigation water and crop testing in central Mexico, and invest in new research and technology to improve the detection of cyclospora.

Experts say that determining the source of cyclospora is difficult because of the pathogen’s life cycle and because contamination is often incredibly sparse and patchy. In July, the FDA retracted a separate test result, saying the finding was a false positive but still linking the company to the outbreak.

“We will participate in a public-private task force that includes the FDA, scientists, industry leaders and public health officials,” Taylor said in the letter. “The task force’s mandate will be to identify lasting prevention measures for all fresh produce growers.”