Taco Bell lettuce is being removed from some U.S. menus after health officials linked it to a cyclosporiasis outbreak in five states.
Taco Bell lettuce is being pulled from some U.S. menus after health officials linked it to a cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to the chain. The fast-food company said the change was made out of caution after talks with public health officials.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 1,645 people in five states who had contact with Taco Bell have been infected with cyclosporiasis, a parasitic illness spread through contaminated food or water. The Food and Drug Administration said no deaths have been reported, but 94 people have been hospitalized. Officials said the infections were first detected on May 13.
The FDA warned people not to eat food items containing shredded iceberg lettuce from Mexico served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. Taco Bell said lettuce from one supplier will be removed indefinitely and replaced. The company did not say exactly which state menus will be affected, but most infections have been reported in Michigan, where more than 3,300 cases have been detected.
Taco Bell did not identify the supplier behind the lettuce reportedly tied to the outbreak. However, U.S. media have named Taylor Farms in Mexico, and federal health officials said the FDA traced the outbreak to a lettuce supplier in Mexico. Taylor Farms told the BBC it is voluntarily pulling all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market and said FDA tracking pointed to one of its independent farms as the possible source.
Health experts said cyclosporiasis can be hard to trace, in part because symptoms may not appear for about two weeks. Common signs include watery diarrhea that lasts for days, sudden weight loss, and loss of appetite. One official with the Association of Food and Drug Officials said finding the source is like looking for a tiny fragment in a haystack. The Taco Bell lettuce issue matters because food safety failures can spread quickly and hit ordinary families across state lines.
