Federal officials announced Friday that shredded iceberg lettuce imported from Mexico and served in Taco Bell restaurants in five states is a source of cyclosporathe foodborne parasite causing the nationwide rise in cases of explosive watery diarrhea. The five states 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 that It’s Taylor Farms..
Taylor Farms He was also involved in a multi-state conflict in 2024. Escherichia coli Outbreak linked to contaminated onions served at McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants. At that time, FDA inspectors found multiple violations at a Taylor Farms facility in Colorado.
Amid the current outbreak, the FDA and CDC urge consumers not to eat iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell restaurants in the five listed states. They point out that so far shredded iceberg lettuce sold in supermarkets or served in other restaurants has not been implicated.
Cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported in 34 states, and multiple clusters and outbreaks are suspected. The CDC is reporting 1,645 laboratory confirmed cases nationwideincluding 141 hospitalizations, but state and local health departments report much higher case numbers, which also include probable cases.
Michigan, which has been hit hard by the multistate outbreak linked to Taco Bell, reported 5,002 cases as of July 17, along with 102 hospitalizations.
