Overview
- The CDC declared the outbreak over on Sept. 11, reporting 12,883 confirmed illnesses, 570 hospitalizations and two deaths tied to the lettuce cluster across 21 states.
- Epidemiologic tracebacks linked the largest multistate cluster to shredded iceberg lettuce grown in central Mexico and distributed by Taylor Farms, which issued a voluntary recall in mid‑July.
- The FDA says all recalled lettuce tied to this outbreak is off the market and that the number of new infections linked to the product has sharply declined.
- FDA on‑site inspections and sample collection at growers and the Doctor Mora processing facility in Mexico have ended, but laboratory analyses of those samples are still pending and the plant remains closed.
- Public‑health experts and reporting flagged broader problems exposed by the event, including fewer international inspections and reduced federal staffing, which can slow outbreak detection, complicate tracebacks and shape regulatory and industry responses.