CDC, FDA link Taco Bell lettuce supplier to multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak

Federal health officials said Thursday that a multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis that has sickened thousands of people has been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in five states, confirming key findings first reported by the Washington Post.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration said traceback investigators identified a single supplier of iceberg lettuce from Mexico used at Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. In updates posted to the CDC webpage and FDA webpage late Thursday, officials urged consumers not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell restaurants in those states while the investigation continues.

The agencies did not name a supplier. But two individuals familiar with the inquiry said investigators have identified Taylor Farms as the supplier of the shredded iceberg lettuce. The individuals spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details of the ongoing investigation.

The FDA is working directly with the supplier to determine if contaminated shredded iceberg lettuce went to other places, officials said. More than 1,644 sick people in this outbreak reported eating at Taco Bell locations in the five states, officials said.

“The investigation remains active, and additional states, restaurants, retailers, or products may be identified as more information becomes available,” said Emily Hilliard, a spokesperson for the Health and Human Services Department.

This summer’s outbreak of cyclosporiasis, among the largest such outbreaks in the United States, has been largely concentrated in southeastern Michigan, where more than 4,300 cases have been reported and at least 100 people have been hospitalized as of Thursday.

“The signal we have gotten is that there is a very high percentage of people who got sick at Taco Bell, and when investigators asked what their menu items were in common, lettuce came up frequently,” said one of the individuals. When the FDA asked the company where it sourced the lettuce from, it was Taylor Farms, not just for the Taco Bell stores in Michigan but also for restaurants in other states, the person said.

Taylor Farms describes itself as one of the leading global producers of salads and healthy fresh foods, with production facilities across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Western Europe. Taylor Farms did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a statement, Taco Bell Corp. 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 affected ingredient from our supplier is being indefinitely removed from our supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within 24 hours in select states.”

Taco Bell Corp. added: “While no official advisory has been issued, we believe public health is a shared responsibility among restaurants, their suppliers, and authorities, and we are proud to have consistently acted quickly and proactively to protect our guests. Taco Bell has taken precautionary action, and we encourage all relevant restaurants, retailers, and foodservice operators to do the same.”

Authorities in Michigan, which has been hit the hardest and has reported hundreds of cases daily, have said leafy lettuce is the leading suspected source based on interviews with more than 1,000 patients.

Notices posted at some Detroit-area Taco Bell restaurants this month told customers the chain was “currently unable to sell Lettuce, Cilantro Onion, Pico de Gallo, and Guacamole due to a nationwide recall,” according to media reports.

Cases have been identified in at least 34 states, and confirmed illnesses could continue to increase through the end of August, officials said.

Earlier this week, after Michigan officials warned that lettuce could be a culprit, the International Fresh Produce Association criticized how public health officials were investigating the outbreak.

“Everything pointing to produce is based on recollections of patients, and even those recollections — based on what we hear — explain, at most, only half of the current cases,” said Max Teplitski, the association’s chief science officer.

“We need to be candid about the limits of the data being used here,” he added. “A parasite with a notoriously complex life cycle, Cyclospora can be hard to detect in the environment, and some of the methods for its detection have performed inconsistently.”