Taylor Farms is facing a rapidly advancing public health crisis, and communications veterans say its latest messages have muddied an already confusing situation.

The major food supplier said Sunday that the FDA had withdrawn a positive test for cyclospora in its lettuce, calling it a false positive. The cyclospora parasite has sickened thousands of people across the country in recent weeks.

“Today, the FDA apologized to us,” Taylor Farms said in a statement on its website. The company also said it had completed a voluntary recall of certain iceberg lettuce products out of an “abundance of caution” and in response to initial information from health officials.

Putting the supposed apology at the beginning of the statement diverted attention from Taylor Farms’ previous focus on consumer safety. The limits of that approach became clear Monday, when the FDA said outbreaks and tracing The data still pointed to the company’s lettuce and urged consumers to continue avoiding the recalled products, which had previously been distributed to certain Taco Bell restaurants.

“To clarify, this false positive laboratory sample does NOT change the basis of the FDA’s ongoing outbreak investigation or the overwhelming epidemiological data supporting Taylor Farms’ current voluntary recall,” the federal agency said in a statement posted on X.

The episode illustrates the delicate position companies face when associated with a rapidly evolving public health emergency. Communications professionals told Business Insider that while Taylor Farms was right to acknowledge the false positive, it should have kept the emphasis on safety, transparency and what it was going to do next.

“Anything that is perceived as celebrating a grievance is actually going to be perceived as premature,” said Bradley Akubuiro, who was Boeing’s chief spokesman during the 737 Max crisis and is now a partner at the leadership advisory firm Bully Pulpit International. “Actually, they haven’t been acquitted yet.”

Taylor Farms did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider about its handling of the outbreak or its communications strategy.

Kevin Donahue, a crisis communications veteran at consulting firm Coologee who has worked at the FDA and on product recalls, said the FDA’s false positive was worth acknowledging, although it should not have been the starting point of the company’s message.

Donahue said a more effective statement would have moved quickly from the FDA’s latest finding to reassuring consumers. He suggested starting with something like: “We are pleased that the product test was determined to be a false positive. Our primary focus remains consumer safety and supporting public health. We are committed to working with the FDA as it continues its investigation.”

Rod Hughes, crisis communications expert at Kimball Hughes Public Relations, agreed and also said Taylor Farms has handled some aspects of the outbreak appropriately. He quickly expressed sympathy for those who fell ill, voluntarily recalled potentially contaminated lettuce from the market and said he was committed to working with public health authorities.

“They led with empathy, as is necessary in these situations,” Hughes said. “People were harmed and we have to recognize it from the beginning.”

Their biggest concern was that Taylor Farms has said little about what it is doing to prevent future outbreaks.

“What corrective measures are you taking?” Hughes said. “I don’t see that.”

He also said companies in general should avoid antagonizing regulators, regardless of which political party controls the government, because those agencies regulate them.

“I wouldn’t recommend upsetting the FDA, the IRS or any of those entities,” Hughes said. “That can come back to haunt you later, when you need a little grace from him.”

Since the FDA has not confirmed Taylor Farms’ claim that it apologized for the false positive, the company is now in a precarious position, said Evan Nierman, founder of crisis public relations firm Red Banyan. Taylor Farms essentially invited scrutiny as to which version of events was accurate by making the alleged apology central to its statement.

“This has led to a whole new series of coverages evaluating who is right and who is accurate,” he said. “You never want to get out of a situation that you can’t come back from.”