Taylor Farms, founded by Bruce Taylor and several partners in 1995, has 19 production plants across U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Western Europe and employees 25,000.Guillermo Arias/APLate last week Bruce Taylor, the founder and CEO of Taylor Farms, dispatched a lobbyist to the White House for an emergency meeting to discuss the cyclosporiasis outbreak that has been linked to his business and to express “frustration with being excluded from the outbreak investigation process.” The meeting came after the Food and Drug Administration reported that the brand’s lettuce was being investigated for the parasite—which has so far caused “explosive diarrhea” in more than 7,000 people and nearly 150 hospitalizations. His company, the largest salad producer in America, had issued a voluntary recall of its iceberg lettuce from Central Mexico in response. On Sunday, the FDA acknowledged that a sample test actually yielded a false positive. Taylor Farms then issued a statement stating the FDA had apologized. By Monday, the FDA clarified that the agency’s investigation still indicated that the parasite was linked to Taylor Farms with “overwhelming epidemiological data.” In response to the “significant confusion,” Taylor Farms released another statement, this time promising not to source any of its iceberg from growers in Central Mexico for the rest of this season, and that, in addition to working “closely” with federal health officials, it had “deployed” its own specialists to Central Mexico “to probe every possible origin of the parasitic contamination.” (The FDA still says it has no positive test results to date.)As the outbreak continues, Taylor contends the company welcomes more FDA scrutiny, and cautions against letting the outbreak frighten consumers away from eating fresh fruits and vegetables, noting that they are healthier for consumers than frozen or processed foods. "Americans are afraid and avoiding healthy fresh food to their own detriment,” Taylor told Forbes on Thursday over email in what appears to be the first time he’s responded to questions about his farm’s potential role in the outbreak. Taylor had been co-chairman of the produce giant Fresh International Corp., the produce giant his father Ted founded along with Fresh Express, from 1981 to 1994. His father died in 1991, and a reported rift between him and his brother Steve, who was also working for the family business by then, over management styles and the future of the company apparently led Bruce Taylor to resign. He soon founded Taylor Farms with several partners in California's Salinas Valley in 1995. His brother, Steve (d. 2022), took over the family produce firm, and later led its sale to publicly traded Performance Food Group in 2001 for some $300 million. Taylor Farms has since grown into a $7 billion (estimated annual revenue) produce powerhouse and is one of the world’s largest salad and fresh produce operations. The majority of the estimated $15 billion market for salad in North America is controlled by Taylor Farms, Fresh Express (which was acquired by Chiquita from Performance Food Group in 2005 for $855 million), and private equity owned salad brand Organic Girl. In addition to Taco Bell and Walmart, both of which have been identified in the voluntary recall linked to the parasite outbreak, Taylor Farms has sold salad bags to Whole Foods, shredded lettuce to McDonald’s and Chipotle, and iceberg to Olive Garden. It also cuts, packs and sells other vegetables like brussel sprouts, cauliflower and onions. The Salinas, California-based business is no stranger to recalls. Taylor Farms has been linked to several major outbreaks over the past two decades, including five different recalls in 2013 alone and a 2024 recall of raw onions served at McDonald’s due to e.Coli contamination that sickened over 100 and led to one death. “We strive to stop any risk identified quickly and learn from each one,” Taylor noted.“Americans are afraid and avoiding healthy fresh food to their own detriment.”