Taylor Farms stands as a dominant force in the American food supply chain, producing a significant portion of the lettuce and jalapeño peppers found in supermarkets and fast-food establishments nationwide. Given the company’s massive footprint, many consumers are currently seeking information regarding which specific brands and retailers source their produce from the firm.
The company has recently been in the spotlight due to a historic outbreak of cyclosporiasis, an illness characterized by what experts describe as “explosive diarrhea.” The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) traced the largest cluster of these infections, centered in Michigan, to iceberg lettuce supplied by the produce giant. While this outbreak has seen cases reported across 47 states in recent weeks, experts caution that not all infection clusters are necessarily linked to the same source.
Separately, Taylor Farms is managing a recall involving various food products containing jalapeños, which have been linked to an ongoing salmonella outbreak. According to an August 9 FDA notice, this recall affects products sold at major grocery chains, including Walmart, Target, and Trader Joe’s, across 26 states. Officials note that these two health incidents appear to be unrelated.
The cyclosporiasis outbreak has been particularly severe, representing an unprecedented wave of infections since May that has resulted in two deaths. On July 17, Taylor Farms initiated a voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce products. Notably, the firm has emphasized that as of August 5, the FDA reported “no confirmed positive sample results for product testing for Cyclospora” regarding their products.
Despite the FDA’s directive advising Americans to avoid certain iceberg lettuce produced by the company, identifying the specific origin of produce in a restaurant taco, burger, or sub remains a significant challenge for the average consumer. Taylor Farms, which describes itself as a leading global producer of salads and fresh foods, operates 30 processing facilities with over 25,000 employees and generates $7 billion in annual revenue, according to a spring 2026 profile in UC Berkeley’s Haas Magazine.
The company maintains a vast network of partners, including major retail groups, club stores, and quick-service restaurant chains. A search on the company’s “Find-a-Product” page reveals that many prominent retailers carry Taylor Farms salad kits, including Safeway, Whole Foods, Meijer, Vons, Food4Less, H-E-B, Fry’s, Albertsons, and Kroger, alongside Walmart and Target.
Identifying which restaurant chains currently use Taylor Farms produce is more complex, as the company does not provide a comprehensive, real-time list. It is confirmed that Taco Bell utilized the company’s lettuce during the period of the recent recall. Additionally, Chipotle officials confirmed on July 20 that they source from the company, though Laurie Schalow, Chipotle’s chief corporate affairs and food safety officer, stated they do not believe their sourced ingredients are associated with the current Cyclospora investigation.
Historical reports from 2014, including data from Capital & Main and The Huffington Post, have previously linked Taylor Farms to chains such as McDonald’s, Subway, KFC, Long John Silver’s, Pizza Hut, and Darden Restaurants, which owns brands like Olive Garden.
Taylor Farms has faced a series of voluntary recalls over the years, some of which involved mislabeled products rather than pathogens. In 2025, the company recalled salad kits in 25 states due to undeclared ingredients. In 2024, they were involved in the removal of McDonald’s Quarter Pounders from menus following potential E. coli contamination in onions. Previous incidents include a 2019 recall of 2,100 pounds of mislabeled products containing allergens and a 2017 recall of approximately 6,630 pounds of chicken and pork salad products potentially tainted with listeria monocytogenes.
While a 2013 New York Times report highlighted an “unusual number of voluntary recalls” at the firm, CEO Bruce Taylor defended the company’s record by citing its massive scale. “Just if you do the sheer math, our recalls relative to our size are fewer than anybody else,” Taylor stated.
Founded in 1995 by Bruce Taylor, a third-generation Salinas Valley lettuce grower, the company aimed to become North America’s premier producer of healthy fresh foods. The firm has invested heavily in safety, partnering with the Produce Marketing Association around 2007 to establish the Center for Produce Safety. In 2009, they introduced “SmartWash Solutions,” a system designed to sanitize wash-water and prevent microbial cross-contamination.
The company also transformed the industry by shifting toward a fixed-price model that provided growers with guaranteed profits and customers with consistent supply. As Bruce Taylor noted in a 2026 Western Farm Press report, the model was driven by demand from major clients like McDonald’s, who required consistent product at a stable price point. Reporting contributed by Melina Khan and Mary Walrath-Holdridge.
The Taylor Farms website doesn’t offer a full list of the big-name chain restaurants that serve its lettuce in 2026.
In 2019, Taylor Farms recalled roughly 2,100 pounds of mislabeled products that contained “a known allergen.”
In 2012, Taylor Farms entered the supermarket industry with “with the first-ever branded prepackaged chopped salads with dressings and condiments,” according to the profile.
In years past, restaurateurs and supermarkets had struggled with unpredictable prices for produce.
