Lettuce Prices Rise as Food-Safety Outbreak Hits Restaurants
Wednesday, 2026/08/12153 words2 minutes523 reads
U.S. restaurants are facing two problems involving lettuce. First, hot weather in Arizona caused some lettuce to mature early. This created a supply gap before California's later crop could arrive. The Associated Press reported that retail iceberg lettuce prices rose about 20% from January to June.
Second, the Food and Drug Administration is investigating a Cyclospora outbreak associated with recalled shredded iceberg lettuce. Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that can cause intestinal illness. The nine-state investigation involves people who reported eating at Taco Bell.
On July 24, the FDA reported 1,947 illnesses and at least 98 hospitalizations in this investigation, with no deaths reported. Taylor Farms de Mexico removed certain iceberg lettuce from the U.S. market on July 17, and Taco Bell stopped using the supplier that day.
The FDA says the link comes from epidemiological evidence and traceback work. No product sample has been confirmed positive for Cyclospora, and the investigation continues.
