Federal health officials are investigating Taylor Farms as a potential source of an expanding cyclosporiasis outbreak that has sickened thousands across the Midwest, according to reports Thursday.
Taco Bell said it voluntarily removed iceberg lettuce from the supplier in select states and will replace the contaminated product nationwide within 24 hours. The fast-food chain cited "ongoing conversations with public health officials" and removed the affected ingredient "indefinitely" from its broader supply chain.
"Taco Bell has taken precautionary action, and we encourage all relevant restaurants, retailers, and foodservice operators to do the same," a company spokesperson said, noting that no official health advisory had been issued at the time of the announcement.
The parasitic infection triggers severe watery diarrhea and has spread across Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky. The Centers for Disease Control reported this week that labs had confirmed 1,645 cases, with 145 hospitalizations. An additional 5,100 suspected cases await confirmation, and the agency warned the actual number of infections is substantially higher.
CDC officials expect the outbreak to persist through August. Gwen Biggerstaff, deputy director of the CDC's division of foodborne, waterborne and environmental diseases, called the surge "unusually high" for summer cyclosporiasis cases. "Many people with mild illness recover without seeking medical attention," she said Tuesday, "so the true number of infections is almost certainly higher."
Michigan health authorities identified lettuce as a "potential source" on Monday. Earlier this week, federal and state investigators had begun examining whether Taco Bell locations in Michigan connected to the outbreak had received contaminated supplies.
The outbreak has drawn scrutiny of the Trump administration's cuts to federal food safety programs and a decision to limit the scope of a CDC foodborne illness monitoring program. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the cuts on Thursday, telling reporters that the CDC and FDA "have the resources they need" to respond to the crisis and that food safety cutbacks had not hampered the federal response.
Author James Rodriguez: "A voluntary pullback is corporate liability management, not a solution, and every delayed response gives this parasite another 24 hours to spread."
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