The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is maintaining a recall of Taylor Farms lettuce despite a laboratory test being deemed a false positive [1].

This decision reflects the agency's effort to contain a multi-state outbreak of Cyclospora, a parasite that causes severe diarrhea. Because the outbreak continues to affect consumers across the country, the FDA is prioritizing broader epidemiological data over a single disputed lab result.

FDA officials said re-reviewed laboratory data still support Taylor Farms lettuce as the likely source of the outbreak [3]. The agency continues to focus its investigation on the product, which is sourced from farms in Central Mexico [2].

While one specific test was ruled a false positive, the FDA said the recall remains active to protect public health [1]. The agency is continuing its investigation into the supply chain to determine how the parasite entered the produce.

Taylor Farms has cooperated with the recall process as the FDA works to trace the contamination back to the specific fields in Mexico [2]. The agency said the decision to keep the recall in place is based on the totality of the evidence gathered during the outbreak response [3].

“The FDA is maintaining a recall of Taylor Farms lettuce despite a laboratory test being deemed a false positive.”

The FDA's decision to maintain the recall despite a false positive suggests that the epidemiological link—the pattern of illnesses tied to the product—is stronger than the conflicting lab result. This highlights the complexity of tracing foodborne parasites like Cyclospora, where environmental factors and supply chain length can make definitive laboratory confirmation difficult even when the statistical evidence points to a specific source.