Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak to shredded lettuce served by Taco Bell in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.
- The CDC says upwards of 1,600 individuals afflicted by the parasitic diarrheal illness reported eating at a Taco Bell in those five states before falling ill. The agency said the U.S. has seen close to 6,700 suspected or confirmed cases since May.
- Taco Bell said Thursday that it was immediately and indefinitely removing lettuce provided by an unnamed supplier authorities have linked to the outbreak. The chain will replace potentially affected ingredients within 24 hours in select states.
Dive Insight:
Press reports indicated that Taylor Farms may be the supplier of the contaminated lettuce. In 2024, Taylor Farms onions used in the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder were linked to an E. coli outbreak.
Taco Bell said in its statement it had “consistently acted quickly and proactively to protect our guests.”
“Taco Bell has taken precautionary action, and we encourage all relevant restaurants, retailers, and foodservice operators to do the same,” the chain added.
Several Taco Bell locations in Michigan, which is the hardest hit state by the outbreak, stopped serving lettuce last week, as cases continued to rise.
Taco Bell said food safety was a collective responsibility of restaurants, suppliers and authorities and that no official advisory had been issued as of Thursday.
The Food and Drug Administration said that its investigation into Cyclospora contamination “identified convergence on a single supplier of iceberg lettuce from Mexico used by Taco Bell locations where sick people ate before becoming ill.”
The agency “is working directly with the identified supplier to determine if potentially contaminated shredded iceberg lettuce remains on the market.”
The FDA and CDC recommended that consumers not eat lettuce at Taco Bells in the five states.
