What Company Supplies Taco Bell's Lettuce?

From farm to fork, the American food and agricultural sector is worth $10.4 trillion, according to Feeding the Economy, with thousands of companies driving that massive engine forward. But how does that food get to your drive-thru order? We love a supplier mystery as much as the next foodie, from speculating which Belgian firm is behind Trader Joe's huge Pound Plus chocolate bars to the home-grown company that likely supplies chicken to many fast food chains. But while most big names keep their supplier details under wraps, recalls and outbreaks of illness thrust them into the spotlight. Such is the case for Salinas, California-based Taylor Farms, whose iceberg lettuce we now know is used in menu items at Taco Bell.

Founded in 1995 by Bruce Taylor, the company has expanded into a major force, with production facilities across North America and Europe. Taylor Farms is a household name in the United States, thanks in large part to its range of salad kits stocked everywhere from Amazon to Whole Foods and also likely those sold at Trader Joe's. Like many food suppliers, Taylor Farms also sells its produce to a large number of restaurants, including fast food outlet Taco Bell — though the precise list of big names is, as we said, a closely guarded secret.

The brand has become well-known for its convenient bags of pre-prepared salad, but the company also sells a range of veggie kits, ready-to-eat bowls and trays, and stir-fries (among many other products) that help people get more greens on their plates and vitamins in their systems. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has identified Taylor Farms de Mexico as the supplier of shredded iceberg lettuce to Taco Bell restaurants in Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana, West Virginia, and Ohio, connected to a multi-state outbreak of illness caused by the cyclospora parasite.

In response, Taylor Foods removed all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico until further notice, reiterating that none of the company's branded salads or kits contained iceberg lettuce and were not affected by the recall notice. It's not the first time the company has been at the center of an ingredient recall. In 2024, Taylor Farms sliced onions were removed from McDonald's Quarter Pounders, and it issued nine recalls between 2011 and 2013. In 2026, CEO Bruce Taylor tackled the thorny issue of food safety. "All we can do is make sure we're taking the steps that we know to take to ensure we're producing safe food for our fellow Americans," he said, per Western Farm Press.