What to know about the latest food outbreaks in the US linked to lettuce, jalapeños

Key Points:

• Two major foodborne illness outbreaks are ongoing in the U.S.: a cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico, causing over 6,358 cases and two deaths across 15 states, and a salmonella outbreak tied to jalapeños from Sinaloa, Mexico, with 346 cases in 27 states but no deaths reported.
• The iceberg lettuce was distributed by Taylor Farms and initially linked to Taco Bell but later found in various food services and retailers, prompting a voluntary recall; jalapeños were distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors and removed from Chipotle and Qdoba menus.
• Tracking and linking illnesses to contaminated food products is challenging due to delayed symptom onset and patients' recall difficulties, especially for cyclosporiasis, which can take up to two weeks to manifest.
• Former health officials express concerns that staffing and funding cuts at the CDC and FDA—20-25% reductions during the Trump administration—have slowed outbreak responses, with key surveillance teams significantly downsized.
• The Department of Health and Human Services plans to increase food safety funding by $33 million in the upcoming fiscal year to support parasitic disease response, and the FDA is extending the Food Traceability Rule compliance deadline to 2028 to improve tracking of high-risk foods.