Federal health officials have connected shredded lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants to a spreading cyclospora outbreak that now spans more than 30 states, the CDC announced Thursday.
The parasite has sickened people across Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, prompting warnings against consuming shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell locations in those states. The lettuce originated from Mexico.
An FDA investigation traced the contamination to a single lettuce supplier. While federal warnings did not publicly name the company, Bloomberg reported that California-based Taylor Farms is preparing a recall of affected ingredients. Taylor Fresh Foods, the company behind the branded salads, stated Friday that none of its packaged products are linked to the outbreak but said it was withdrawing all iceberg lettuce distribution from the region indefinitely.
"While the FDA traceback is indicating a specific independent farm, which represents less than 1% of the US's iceberg lettuce supply, as the potential source of the outbreak, we have removed all iceberg lettuce from the region indefinitely," the company said in a statement.
Taco Bell committed to stop purchasing lettuce from the identified supplier. The company had voluntarily removed limited ingredients at select restaurants earlier in the week as a precautionary step.
Cyclospora causes severe gastrointestinal distress, including watery diarrhea with explosive bowel movements, along with fatigue and nausea. Symptoms can persist for up to a month. The microscopic parasite spreads through feces and typically infects people who consume fruits or vegetables exposed to contaminated irrigation water.
This year's outbreak has already surpassed the US record of approximately 4,700 infections set in 2019. The illness is not typically life-threatening and responds to antibiotic treatment.
Cyclospora outbreaks historically were rare in the United States, with few cases reported for years. The trend shifted roughly a decade ago, with a dramatic spike in 2018 and 2019. Public health experts attribute the increase partly to improved detection methods, as many standard food poisoning tests were not originally designed to identify cyclospora. Climate patterns may also play a role, as the heat-loving parasite thrives in warm conditions and outbreaks tend to cluster in late spring and summer.
Author James Rodriguez: "This outbreak is a stark reminder that despite modern food safety standards, contamination at the source can still slip through and reach millions of consumers before detection catches up."
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