Walmart said it removed four bagged Taylor Farms salads under its Marketside brand from select stores as federal and state investigations into a cyclospora outbreak expand. The retailer reported no confirmed illnesses tied to the affected items and said it acted after receiving supplier notice as a precaution. Federal officials have linked cyclospora illnesses reported across more than 30 states to shredded iceberg lettuce, including an investigation identifying a single supplier. Separately, the Mexican government said it is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration through an “ongoing” process to determine the outbreak’s source and emphasized that identifying country of origin does not by itself confirm contamination occurred in Mexico. The outbreak’s timeline—symptoms that can appear up to two weeks after exposure—has complicated traceback, and Michigan reported more than 5,000 cases as of July 17, according to the CDC. Walmart’s removals illustrate how quickly consumer-facing disruptions can spread in the middle of peak summer produce demand.
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