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Taco Bell Reportedly Knew About Explosive Diarrhea Outbreak Weeks Before Telling Customers
Kotaku • • business
Key Points:
- Taco Bell's parent company, Yum! Brands, was reportedly informed about the Cyclospora outbreak linked to some Michigan locations around July 2, roughly two weeks before publicly addressing the issue.
- Michigan health officials contacted Yum! Brands multiple times in early July, requesting intervention and documentation to reduce future cases, while Taco Bell was already receiving media inquiries about contaminated lettuce.
- Despite signs at some Detroit Taco Bell locations about removing certain produce due to a nationwide recall, neither the company nor health authorities had officially confirmed a recall at that time.
- Yum! Brands publicly acknowledged removing affected menu items due to the outbreak only on July 14, with a subsequent apology issued days later after over 6,700 people across 45 states were infected.
- The Cyclospora outbreak has resulted in at least two deaths among individuals with underlying health conditions, and investigations into other potential sources of contamination are ongoing.
