Houston Resident Blames Bagged Salad for a Cyclospora Scare

When Sara McGee tossed the last wilted leaf from a bag of H‑E‑B’s Garden Salad Blend, she never expected the crinkled plastic to become the centre of a viral story. The 38‑year‑old Houston‑area mom says she started feeling the classic, gut‑wrenching symptoms of Cyclospora about a week after buying the salad on July 1, 2026.

“It was nothing I’d ever experienced before,” McGee told the Chron. She described relentless diarrhea, a loss of appetite and a fatigue that lingered for days. The symptoms line up with the parasite’s known 7‑10‑day incubation period, a point underscored by Dr. Danish Ali, a triple‑board‑certified specialist in pain management and rehabilitation.

Dr. Ali, however, was quick to note an important caveat: McGee was never tested for Cyclospora, and therefore there is no laboratory confirmation that the parasite was the culprit. "She was prescribed the appropriate antibiotics based on her presentation, but we have no definitive test result," he said.

The story took a turn when Taylor Farms, a major supplier of iceberg lettuce, issued a voluntary recall of all its iceberg lettuce products earlier that week. The recall was triggered after the FDA announced a positive test for Cyclospora on a sample of the lettuce, later re‑classified as a false positive. Even after the retraction, the FDA maintained that the broader epidemiological data still suggested a link between the recalled lettuce and the outbreak.

H‑E‑B, the retailer that sold the salad to McGee, stressed that none of its own store‑brand products were part of the FDA’s recall. "No products sold in H‑E‑B stores have been part of the current Cyclospora recall issued by the FDA," a company spokesperson said, making it clear that the recall was voluntary on the supplier’s part, not a mandatory removal of H‑E‑B inventory.

State health officials reported 68 lab‑confirmed cases of Cyclospora in Texas as of July 13, 2026 – a modest rise compared with typical seasonal expectations, according to Douglas Loveday of the Texas Department of State Health Services. Texas, however, is not among the five states most affected by recent imported lettuce issues.

For McGee, the episode was more of an inconvenience than a life‑threatening event. "I was not bedridden, but it was definitely uncomfortable," she said, adding that she tossed the rest of the salad and switched to pre‑washed spinach for a while.

The takeaway? While the personal narrative feels compelling, the absence of a confirmed test means the link between McGee’s illness and the recalled lettuce remains speculative. Health officials continue to monitor the situation, urging consumers to stay informed about recalls and to seek medical attention if they experience prolonged gastrointestinal symptoms.