The national food safety firm has been contacted by people sickened in 2026 and is investigating their links to restaurant and produce exposures as the CDC confirms one of the largest Cyclospora outbreaks on record — with no product named and no recall issued.
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash., July 15, 2026 — The national Cyclospora attorneys at Marler Clark, Inc., PS, are investigating a nationwide outbreak of cyclosporiasis that federal health officials now describe as the largest on record. The firm has been contacted by people who contracted Cyclospora in 2026 and is investigating their links to specific restaurant and produce exposures.
On July 14, 2026, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Health Alert Network advisory reporting 1,645 laboratory-confirmed, domestically acquired cases of cyclosporiasis, plus more than 5,100 additional cases under investigation — nearly 7,000 people across at least 34 states. The CDC reported 141 hospitalizations and no deaths, and for the first time formally identified a large multistate outbreak spanning Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky.
“For a year, the federal government treated Cyclospora as optional to track, and this is the result: nearly 7,000 people sick and no one able to point with certainty to the food that did it,” said William “Bill” Marler, Cyclospora attorney and managing partner of Marler Clark. “More and more, these outbreaks trace back to U.S.-grown produce, not just imports. Growers, processors, and the FDA have to do more — and the families who spent weeks of their summer sick deserve answers. If the agencies can’t find the source, we will help our clients find it.”
Details of the 2026 Cyclospora Outbreak
- The CDC’s July 14 Health Alert reported 1,645 confirmed, domestically acquired cases and more than 5,100 additional cases under investigation — nearly 7,000 people across at least 34 states, with 141 hospitalized and no deaths.
- The 1,645 confirmed cases are substantially higher than the 249 reported nationally over the same period in 2025.
- The CDC has identified a large multistate outbreak in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Michigan officials have pointed to lettuce and salad greens as a likely source.
- Federal and state investigators are examining whether lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants played a role. No grower, supplier, or product has been publicly named as the source, and no recall has been issued.
- In a separate set of clusters in Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas — linked to Mexican-style restaurants, a grocery chain, and a catered event — the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is conducting traceback investigations on cilantro, green onions, and cucumbers.
Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading firm representing victims of Cyclospora outbreaks and the only U.S. law practice devoted exclusively to foodborne-illness litigation. The firm has recovered more than $850 million for clients since 1993. Its Cyclospora attorneys filed the first lawsuits in the 2023 national outbreak — on behalf of diners sickened at Tacos del GNAR in Ridgway, Colorado — and represented victims of the 2020 and 2018 Fresh Express bagged-salad outbreaks, including roughly 100 families in the 2020 outbreak.
People who were diagnosed with cyclosporiasis in 2026 after eating fresh produce or dining out can contact the Marler Clark Cyclospora attorneys for a free case evaluation at 1-800-884-9840 or marler@marlerclark.com. More information is available at marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/cyclospora.
William “Bill” Marler has been a food safety lawyer and advocate since the 1993 Jack-in-the-Box E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, which was chronicled in the book “Poisoned” and the Emmy Award–winning Netflix documentary of the same name. Bill’s work has been profiled in The New Yorker (“A Bug in the System”), the Seattle Times, and The Washington Post. Dozens of times a year he speaks to industry and government throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, China, and Australia on why it is important to prevent foodborne illnesses. He is a frequent commentator on Marler Blog and is the publisher of Food Safety News.
To contact Bill, reach out to Julie Dueck at 1-206-930-4220.