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FDA Inspectors Check Out Taylor Farms Plant in Mexico
Newser • • business
Key Points:
- Federal investigators are examining Taylor Farms' processing plant and fields in Mexico nearly a month after its shredded iceberg lettuce was linked to the largest known cyclospora outbreak in the US.
- The outbreak has sickened nearly 10,000 people across 47 states and caused two deaths, leading to a recall of about 3.1 million pounds of lettuce distributed to major chains like Taco Bell, Walmart, and Subway.
- Production at Taylor Farms was halted on July 18, and experts warn the delay in investigation may hinder efforts to identify the contamination source, suspected to be agricultural water.
- Taylor Farms also recalled products containing jalapenos, but the chili peppers came from a separate grower and importer, making the company's involvement in that aspect an unfortunate coincidence.
- The cyclospora parasite is difficult to detect and often unevenly distributed in food, complicating the investigation and containment efforts.
