The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has officially walked back a previous announcement regarding the contamination of iceberg lettuce, admitting that an earlier report detecting the Cyclospora parasite in a sample from Taylor Farms was a false positive.

According to officials, ongoing testing has not identified the parasite in any samples associated with the supplier to date. Taylor Farms confirmed that the agency extended an apology following the erroneous report.

The initial warning came after Taylor Farms voluntarily recalled its iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico amid a massive, widespread Cyclospora outbreak. The company remains a major player in the agricultural supply chain, distributing produce to major retailers and popular fast-food chains, including Taco Bell.

Despite the FDA’s retraction, health authorities caution that the broader investigation remains ongoing, and lab testing continues on other samples of Taylor Farms lettuce.

The CDC reports that nearly 7,000 cases of Cyclospora infection are currently either confirmed or under active investigation. The microscopic parasite causes cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness characterized by severe, prolonged, and often explosive diarrhea that can last for weeks.