Taco Bell Outbreak Linked to Mexican Lettuce
Federal officials announced on Friday that shredded iceberg lettuce imported from Mexico and served at Taco Bell restaurants in five states is the source of Cyclospora, the foodborne parasite causing the nationwide surge in cases of explosive, watery diarrhea.
The five states affected are Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.
A traceback investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration identified a single supplier in Mexico as the source of iceberg lettuce for Taco Bell restaurants where sick people reported eating. While federal authorities did not name the supplier, sources told the Washington Post it is Taylor Farms.
Taylor Farms was previously implicated in a 2024 multi-state E. coli outbreak linked to contaminated onions served at McDonald’s and other fast-food restaurants. FDA inspectors previously found multiple violations at a Taylor Farms facility in Colorado.
The FDA and CDC urge consumers not to eat iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell restaurants in the five listed states.
Cyclosporiasis cases have been reported in 34 states, with multiple clusters and outbreaks suspected. The CDC is reporting 1,645 laboratory-confirmed cases nationwide, including 141 hospitalizations, but state and local health departments report much larger case tallies, which also include probable cases.
Michigan, which has been hit hard in the Taco Bell-linked multi-state outbreak, reported 5,002 cases as of July 17, along with 102 hospitalizations.
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