Lettuce at Taco Bell confirmed as a source of diarrhea-causing outbreak

Key Points:

• Federal health officials have traced a widespread cyclospora outbreak to shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia, with the lettuce sourced from a single supplier identified as Taylor Farms of Salinas, California.
• The CDC and FDA are investigating whether contaminated lettuce from this supplier remains on the market and Taco Bell has stopped using lettuce from this source as a precaution.
• More than 30 states have reported cyclospora infections this year, surpassing the previous U.S. record set in 2019, with the parasite causing diarrhea that is typically treatable with antibiotics.
• Cyclospora infections have been rising over the past decade, possibly due to climate change and improved detection methods, and Taylor Farms has been linked to previous foodborne outbreaks involving cyclosporiasis and E. coli.
• Federal officials caution that other brands or distribution channels could also be implicated as the investigation continues, and consumers are advised to avoid shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell in the affected states.