Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) has removed four bagged iceberg lettuce salad products manufactured by Taylor Farms from its shelves as a precautionary measure amid a widening parasite outbreak.
The products are sold under Walmart’s Marketside store brand and were available at select retail locations across the country before being pulled this past Saturday.
A Walmart spokeswoman stated there is no confirmed indication that products sold in its stores are directly affected by the current cyclospora investigations.
The retailer said it took the precautionary step after receiving notice from a supplier, and confirmed there have been no confirmed illnesses associated with the removed items.
The move follows Taylor Farms pulling products originating from a Mexico farm, with those items having been distributed to 27 states across the US.
Taylor Farms said Saturday it was recalling all of its iceberg lettuce due to the “potential to be contaminated with Cyclospora,” expanding on earlier assurances that only limited products were implicated.
“We are actively removing the implicated products,” Taylor Farms said, adding that it had stopped receiving product from the implicated lot and suspended distribution of iceberg lettuce from Central Mexico.
The company also confirmed it had notified customers and was continuing to work with the FDA, CDC, and state authorities to address the situation.
The shredded iceberg lettuce product in question was distributed between June 29 and July 16, and the FDA has said more states could be added to the recall notice going forward.
Mexico’s government pledged to investigate the origins of the outbreak while cautioning against assumptions that contamination necessarily occurred on its soil.
Mexico’s Health Ministry said in a statement Saturday that its government is working with the US Food and Drug Administration in an “ongoing” investigation to determine “the source” of the outbreak in the US.
“Identifying the product’s country of origin provides a traceability data point, but it does not in itself confirm that the contamination occurred within Mexican territory,” the Mexican government said.
Cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal disease caused by ingesting a microscopic parasite, has now infected people across 34 states, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Michigan, the state with the highest case count, has recorded more than 5,000 illnesses as of July 17, though state counts typically lag behind national figures.
The disease causes severe diarrhea and nausea lasting anywhere from a few days to a couple of months, with symptoms appearing up to two weeks after ingestion, complicating efforts to trace the source.
Health officials said earlier this week that a lettuce supplier to Taco Bell locations in the Midwest was identified as the source of the majority of infections tied to the outbreak.
Recalls spreading to retail shelves have rattled consumer confidence, with many shoppers already steering clear of berries and leafy greens in recent weeks, a trend that carries significant financial consequences given that produce is a critical summer revenue driver for grocery retailers.
Product removals of this nature can typically suppress consumer demand for weeks to months, adding further pressure on retailers and suppliers already navigating a challenging food safety environment.
