Cyclospora outbreak + mounting opposition to Save Our Bacon Act
A news briefing from Farm Action’s policy team
Taylor Farms at the center of cyclospora investigation
What happened: Last week, federal investigators identified Taylor Farms’ iceberg lettuce as the likely source of a major cyclospora outbreak linked to Taco Bell restaurants. Following those findings, the company voluntarily recalled iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico, including products distributed to food service customers and Walmart. According to the FDA, epidemiological investigations found that 90% of affected Taco Bell customers reported eating iceberg lettuce. More than 1,600 illnesses and 94 hospitalizations tied to the lettuce have been reported across five states, though nearly 7,000 cyclospora cases are now under investigation nationwide in what appears to be the largest outbreak of its kind in decades.
In a new development, the FDA has retracted an earlier laboratory finding linking Taylor Farms’ iceberg lettuce to the ongoing multistate cyclospora outbreak after determining the test produced a false positive. The agency apologized to Taylor Farms and removed the sample from its public update, stating that it has not yet confirmed cyclospora contamination through product testing.
Source: Food Fix, FDA, Agri-Pulse
Why it matters: Whether Taylor Farms ultimately proves to be the source or not, the broader vulnerability remains unchanged. Four companies control roughly 54% of the U.S. fresh-cut salad market, meaning contamination at a single supplier ripples across the country almost instantly. The outbreak also highlights how heavily the U.S. food system relies on imported produce—even during the height of the domestic growing season—reflecting a specialty crop market increasingly shaped by a handful of multinational suppliers rather than regional production. That concentration not only creates longer, more complex supply chains that amplify food safety risks, but also contributes to a growing agricultural trade deficit by displacing domestic production.
Opposition to Save Our Bacon Act continues to grow
What happened: A new poll of Iowa voters found significantly more opposition than support for the Save Our Bacon Act, a bill that would effectively overturn California’s Proposition 12 and similar state laws. The Mason-Dixon poll of 625 registered Iowa voters found that nearly twice as many respondents opposed the legislation as supported it. Opposition exceeded support in three of Iowa’s four congressional districts. Democrats were more likely than Republicans to oppose the bill, and a majority of independents (53%) said they opposed it. Separately, more than 700 veterinarians sent a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to keep the legislation out of the Farm Bill and other legislative vehicles. The veterinarians argued that the Save Our Bacon Act would undermine states’ ability to establish animal welfare and public health protections.
Source: Politico, Mason-Dixon Poll, Humane Veterinary Medical Alliance Letter
Why it matters: Opposition to the Save Our Bacon Act extends well beyond traditional animal welfare advocates. The legislation is facing resistance from voters in one of the nation’s largest pork-producing states as well as hundreds of veterinary professionals who argue the measure would weaken state authority over animal welfare standards. As Congress continues debating the Farm Bill, the growing coalition of opponents highlights the widening divide between the priorities of large pork industry interests seeking to overturn Proposition 12 and the views of many farmers, voters, and veterinary professionals.