FDA Doubles Down On Avoiding Taylor Farms Lettuce After Produce Company Claimed Agency Apologized For False Positive

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is pushing back after Taylor Farms claims the FDA apologized to them over a “false positive” regarding Cyclospora testing. Late last week, the FDA identified Taylor Farms as the source of the current ‘diarrhea parasite’ outbreak impacting produce from coast to coast.

In the update, the FDA encouraged the public to continue avoiding all products from Taylor Farms listed in the voluntary recall.

Did the FDA Apologize to Taylor Farms Over Cyclospora Outbreak?

Overnight and into the wee hours of Monday morning, Taylor Farms released this statement on Instagram. They quickly turned off comments on the post after immediate push back from their messaging. You can very clearly see here in the message that Taylor Farms is claiming the FDA apologized to them but the devil is in the details:

The messaging of ‘FDA apologizes to Taylor Farms’ was shared far and wide throughout Monday morning. Major media publications across the globe picked up Taylor Farms’ post on Instagram and ran with the story before the FDA had confirmed anything.

Then around lunchtime on Monday, the Food and Drug Administration responded to the news on X (formerly Twitter). The FDA is crystal clear with its messaging here, saying “We encourage the public to continue to avoid all products listed in Taylor Farms’ voluntary recall.”

Also in the message is how the false positive is related to one singular sample, taken after Taylor Farms was identified as the source of the diarrhea parasite outbreak. Here is the FDA’s statement:

Not for nothing, we need to recognize that this government agency is using X to share messaging about something impacting thousands of people already sick with the ‘diarrhea parasite‘ from infected lettuce. And the accused is using Instagram to claim innocence. Whatever happened to a good old fashioned press release?

On Instagram, nobody was buying Taylor Farms’ messaging. One of the top comments, from user @superginormous, reads “Nope. We don’t buy this for a second. I loved your salad kits but y’all can’t push this toothpaste back into the tube. You’ve had this issue before. Paying off this administration won’t undo the damage. Y’all are going to have to include wet wipes with your salads moving forward.”

Another one of the top comments reads “limiting your comments does not save you from the court of public opinion.” This appears to come after Taylor Farms shut off commenting on the post.”

Dr. Scott Gottlieb shed more light on the FDA’s stance here with a follow up to the administration’s message:

At the end of the day, u-pick farms and farmer’s markets are BOOMING throughout the country due to the cyclospora outbreak. I’ve been picking my own blueberries and raspberries at nearby farms, purchasing other produce and dairy from farms in the area, and have never been happier with the quality of the food I’m purchasing… Maybe this was a good thing after all?

Meanwhile, Taco Bell seems to be suffering after a food recall in five states related to lettuce containing the bacteria that causes “explosive diarrhea.” It will be interesting to see if Taco Bell speaks up after the latest back and forth between the FDA and Taylor Farms.