Are you concerned about contaminated food? Here are 15 rumors we've inspected

Foodborne illnesses have been a trending headline for most of 2026, leading many readers to write in to Snopes asking for clarification on exactly what they should and shouldn't eat. As of this writing, the CDC listed 36 active investigations into contaminated foods resulting in 11 recall notifications thus far in the year. For instance, amid an outbreak of thousands of cases of an intestinal disease called cyclosporiasis across the United States, readers asked whether U.S. President Donald Trump's administration cut programs tracking the surveillance of cyclospora, the parasite that causes the illness. Trump's alleged monetary connections to Taylor Farms, the supplier linked to the outbreak, also were a hot topic. Food contamination claims can run the gamut from alleged heavy metals in Girl Scout cookies to microscopic bugs on Oreos — but as you'll find in Snopes' food investigations, things aren't always as cut and dried as they appear. Sources Anderson, Mae, and Michelle Chapman. "A Look at Food-Related Illnesses Tied to Restaurants Over the Years." AP News, 17 July 2026, https://apnews.com/article/cyclospora-taco-bell-lettuce-illness-0836ce7e4d641035a80e847b23882369. Accessed 1 Sept. 2026.CDC. "About Cyclosporiasis." Cyclosporiasis, 4 Mar. 2024, https://www.cdc.gov/cyclosporiasis/about/index.html. Accessed 1 Sept. 2026.---. "Current Outbreaks." Foodborne Outbreaks, 20 Aug. 2025, https://www.cdc.gov/foodborne-outbreaks/outbreaks/index.html. Accessed 1 Sept. 2026.Stobbe, Mike. "Cyclospora Outbreak Cases Top 1,000 in Michigan and Ohio." AP News, 8 July 2026, https://apnews.com/article/cyclospora-outbreak-michigan-31e5e0034d39e85c844065a2bd593ecb?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share. Accessed 1 Sept. 2026. By Joey Esposito Joey Esposito has written for a variety of entertainment publications. He's into music, video games ... and birds. Article Tags