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The Food and Drug Administration begins inspection of Taylor Farms de Mexico facility linked to nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak

The Food and Drug Administration has initiated an inspection of the Taylor Farms de Mexico facility in Guanajuato, Mexico, to investigate a multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis. The parasitic infection, which causes symptoms such as watery diarrhea and cramping, has resulted in nearly 14,000 laboratory-confirmed cases and two deaths across 47 states since May. The outbreak was linked to iceberg lettuce sourced from the facility, which Taylor Farms recalled on July 17. While the administration announced that the FDA is confident all recalled lettuce is off the market, critics have noted that the facility had not been inspected by the agency since 2019. This delay has led some experts to suggest that the agency should have conducted a root-cause analysis sooner to better understand the contamination source. The FDA is currently reviewing weather records, satellite imagery, and testing materials to reconstruct the conditions of the production site. Meanwhile, the agency continues to work to expand its foreign inspection capacity to meet congressional mandates that have historically been difficult to achieve due to budget and staffing constraints.

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