Salad and Go, a food chain known for serving made-to-order salads, is shutting down all its locations on Wednesday following a bankruptcy declaration. This decision comes in the wake of a Cyclospora outbreak that has affected thousands of Americans. The company, which operates 70 drive-thru locations in Arizona and Nevada, made the announcement through its website.
Founded in Gilbert, Arizona, in 2013, Salad and Go cited its inability to cope with reduced consumer demand, past growth hurdles, and rising costs as reasons for the closure, as reported by AZ Family. Although the company was not directly linked to the Cyclospora outbreak, it acknowledged that the outbreak weakened consumer confidence across the industry, compounding its existing challenges.
On its website, Salad and Go clarified that it does not use shredded iceberg lettuce or source ingredients from suppliers identified in recent reports about the outbreak. Earlier this year in January, the company had decided to focus its efforts on Arizona and closed all locations in Texas and Oklahoma.
Latest on the Multistate Cyclospora Outbreak
Reports since May 1 indicate an increase in cases of cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness caused by Cyclospora. Michigan and Ohio report the majority of cases. On Monday, Michigan confirmed the first two deaths related to the outbreak; both individuals had pre-existing health conditions.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated on Tuesday that 10,468 lab-confirmed domestically acquired cases have been reported, with an additional 12,255 cases being either unconfirmed by laboratories or still under investigation. Michigan and Ohio alone account for many of these cases.
The CDC noted the actual number of infections might be higher as many go undiagnosed or are still in the reporting process. Typically, cases rise between May and August, but numbers for 2026 are much higher than those from the same period in 2025. The agency is investigating various clusters, including a multistate outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce, contributing to the significant rise in Cyclospora cases this year.
This particular outbreak involves shredded lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms. Federal health officials initially traced the outbreak to lettuce served at Taco Bell in states like Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. Later, the FDA found customers in Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania were also affected.
Taco Bell removed shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms from its U.S. locations on July 17. Concurrently, Taylor Farms expanded a voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce grown in central Mexico that had been distributed to 27 states. The investigation is ongoing, and federal health officials indicate potential involvement of other brands, restaurants, retailers, or distribution channels in the outbreak.
Understanding Cyclospora
Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that infects food when it comes into contact with human feces, often through contaminated water used in irrigation or washing. The parasite causes intestinal illness in humans, characterized by frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements, as per the CDC’s data.
This situation continues to unfold. Further updates are expected.