A2AI-generatedJuly 25, 2026·2 min read·272 words·6 vocab words·Source: CDC Newsroom

Outbreak of Food Illness Spreads to Nine States

Q: How do you decide what foods are safe to eat?

This is a discussion question for the article "Outbreak of Food Illness Spreads to Nine States". The CDC published a new warning on July 24, 2026. Iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in Mexico has a germ named Cyclospora. The infection spread to nine states, with 1,947 cases in total. At least 98 p

Q: What should a food company do when its products make people sick?

This is a discussion question for the article "Outbreak of Food Illness Spreads to Nine States". The CDC published a new warning on July 24, 2026. Iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in Mexico has a germ named Cyclospora. The infection spread to nine states, with 1,947 cases in total. At least 98 p

Q: How does your local government share food safety news with the public?

This is a discussion question for the article "Outbreak of Food Illness Spreads to Nine States". The CDC published a new warning on July 24, 2026. Iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in Mexico has a germ named Cyclospora. The infection spread to nine states, with 1,947 cases in total. At least 98 p

Q: Describe a time when you had to throw away food that was bad.

This is a discussion question for the article "Outbreak of Food Illness Spreads to Nine States". The CDC published a new warning on July 24, 2026. Iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in Mexico has a germ named Cyclospora. The infection spread to nine states, with 1,947 cases in total. At least 98 p

Q: What can we do in our kitchens to prevent getting sick from food?

This is a discussion question for the article "Outbreak of Food Illness Spreads to Nine States". The CDC published a new warning on July 24, 2026. Iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in Mexico has a germ named Cyclospora. The infection spread to nine states, with 1,947 cases in total. At least 98 p

Q: How do you think food warnings will change in the future?

This is a discussion question for the article "Outbreak of Food Illness Spreads to Nine States". The CDC published a new warning on July 24, 2026. Iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in Mexico has a germ named Cyclospora. The infection spread to nine states, with 1,947 cases in total. At least 98 p

Q: Is it better to buy local food or imported food from other countries?

This is a discussion question for the article "Outbreak of Food Illness Spreads to Nine States". The CDC published a new warning on July 24, 2026. Iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in Mexico has a germ named Cyclospora. The infection spread to nine states, with 1,947 cases in total. At least 98 p

Q: How do you take care of yourself when you get sick at home?

This is a discussion question for the article "Outbreak of Food Illness Spreads to Nine States". The CDC published a new warning on July 24, 2026. Iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in Mexico has a germ named Cyclospora. The infection spread to nine states, with 1,947 cases in total. At least 98 p

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Outbreak of Food Illness Spreads to Nine States — Photo: "hospital" by sancho_panza is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. (CC BY 2.0)

In brief

The CDC published a new warning on July 24, 2026. Iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in Mexico has a germ named Cyclospora. The infection spread to nine states, with 1,947 cases in total. At least 98 patients went to the hospital, but nobody died. Do not eat this lettuce and contact a doctor if you have symptoms.

Listen — hands-free audio modeSwipe through today's stories at your level. Lock your screen and keep listening.Survival phrases — real-world situationsBrowse graded phrases for travel, work, emergencies and more. Audio in 5 languages.

Vocabulary · Words with a dotted underline are vocabulary words — tap for an instant definition.

On July 24, 2026, the CDC shared a new food warning. This warning is about bad iceberg lettuce from a company. The company name is Taylor Farms de Mexico. A small germ named Cyclospora contaminated the lettuce. This dangerous germ makes many people very sick. Now, the active outbreak is larger than before.

The CDC reported 1,947 sick people in total. At least 98 people went to the hospital. Fortunately, no people died from this bad infection. The CDC added four new states to the list. These new states are Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania.

Now, sick patients live in nine different states. These states include Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. The CDC first updated the list on July 18, 2026. They added the four new states after that date.

You must not eat this Taylor Farms lettuce. You should return it or put it in the trash. You can also ask your state health department questions. They will give you more information about local cases.

Some infected people do not show any symptoms. Other people get watery diarrhea and lose their appetite. They also lose weight because of the illness. These symptoms usually begin one week after infection. They can last for a very long time. You should drink a lot of water to stay hydrated.

You must contact your doctor if you feel sick. You can ask your doctor for a special test. The CDC only counts cases from laboratory tests. They are also investigating other outbreaks in the country. Reporters can send questions to the CDC media team. They must use a special online form for comments.

Speak about it

Take a position. Out loud, if you can.

Four ways to start. Pick one and try saying it before you scroll on.

Tip · Record yourself, use in a notebook, or practice with a language partner.

Comprehension

Question 1 of 3

Which company produced the contaminated lettuce?

Grammar spotlight

Past Simple for Completed Actions

One point · A2

The past simple is used to talk about actions that happened and were completed in the past. Regular verbs end in -ed, while irregular verbs have unique forms like 'went'.

From this article

“At least 98 people went to the hospital.”

What to know · A2

Use it today

Try saying this aloud

Neutral register

Scenario: Talking to a doctor about food poisoning symptoms

01“Other people get watery diarrhea and lose their appetite.”
02“You must contact your doctor if you feel sick.”
03“You can ask your doctor for a special test.”

Register tip · informal

🔑Key Phrases

“At least 98 people went to the hospital.”— No fewer than 98 patients were admitted to a hospital.

Used to show the minimum severity of the health impact.

at least + number + past simple

At least ten students went to the hospital during the flu outbreak.

“You should return it or put it in the trash.”— Take it back to the store or discard it.

This is a suggestion for handling dangerous recalled items.

modal verb should + base form

If your milk smells bad, you should return it or put it in the trash.

“Some infected people do not show any symptoms.”— Some sick individuals have no visible signs of the illness.

Explains that a person can be carrying the germ without looking or feeling sick.

present simple negative

Some infected people do not show any symptoms of the virus.

Article Audio — Kokoro TTS

Outbreak of Food Illness Spreads to Nine States

💬Discussion Questions

Open-ended questions to talk or write about — alone, with a partner, or in class.

1
How do you decide what foods are safe to eat?
Opinion
2
What should a food company do when its products make people sick?
Evaluate
3
How does your local government share food safety news with the public?
Compare
4
Describe a time when you had to throw away food that was bad.
Personal
5
What can we do in our kitchens to prevent getting sick from food?
Opinion
6
How do you think food warnings will change in the future?
Predict
7
Is it better to buy local food or imported food from other countries?
Compare
8
How do you take care of yourself when you get sick at home?
Personal

News sourced from: CDC Newsroom →. LectoPress rewrites the facts as original graded-reader text for language learners.

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