The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed late Thursday that shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia is a source of a multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak, and warned consumers not to eat that product.
A source familiar with the FDA traceback identified Taylor Farms, based in Salinas, California, as the supplier.
Federal warnings did not name the company, and the CDC said, "FDA is working with the supplier of iceberg lettuce to determine if potentially contaminated shredded iceberg lettuce remains on the market," including in other states.
The CDC said Taco Bell has committed to stop using any lettuce from the supplier identified by FDA's traceback investigation. A Taco Bell spokesperson said, "Based on ongoing conversations with public health officials, and out of an abundance of caution, Taco Bell has taken immediate action to voluntarily remove potentially impacted lettuce from a supplier in select states." The statement said, "The affected ingredient from our supplier is being indefinitely removed from our supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within 24 hours in select states," and added, "Taco Bell has taken precautionary action, and we encourage all relevant restaurants, retailers, and foodservice operators to do the same." The company noted that "no official advisory has been issued."
Federal investigators have been probing a single supplier of iceberg lettuce from Mexico used by Taco Bell locations linked to the outbreak that the CDC estimates has sickened nearly 7,000 people across 34 states.
CDC data show 1,645 confirmed cases and 145 hospitalizations; Michigan officials reported 4,312 confirmed cases including 102 hospitalizations, and Ohio officials reported 1,244 cases, up from just under 200 at the beginning of July. A backlog of more than 5,100 suspected cases remains under investigation, and the CDC said it expects the outbreak to continue through August.
The CDC says cyclosporiasis symptoms usually begin about a week after infection and can last from two days to two weeks or more, with watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, bloating, nausea and fatigue, and that the illness spreads when infected feces contaminate food and water. Previous outbreaks were linked to bagged salad mixes and kits, fresh cilantro, fresh basil, raspberries, snow peas and green onions.
Dr. Nuwan Gunawardhana said, "The best way to avoid ingesting it is to cook your food," adding that brushing or scrubbing vegetables can also help get rid of it. "But it's also known to be extremely adherent to surfaces, so it won't protect you 100%." Gwen Biggerstaff, the deputy director of the CDC's division of foodborne, waterborne and environmental diseases, said, "The true number of infections is almost certainly higher, because many people with mild illness recover," and added, "We're seeing an unusually high number of cyclosporiasis cases this summer."
The illness is not usually life-threatening and is typically treated with antibiotics, the CDC said, and outbreaks tend to occur most often in the late spring and summer. Experts say the increasing trend in cases is likely due to the climate crisis and better detection.
Last year, an E. coli outbreak was linked to onions provided to several restaurants from a Taylor Farms facility in Colorado, an episode that briefly forced McDonald's to stop using onions on its Quarter Pounders at some locations. On its website, Taylor Farms bills itself as the "leading global producer of salads and healthy fresh foods, with production facilities across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Western Europe."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said cuts at the CDC and FDA have not affected the federal government's response to the outbreak. "We've talked to the CDC and FDA specifically about that, and not at all," she told reporters on Thursday.