A lettuce supplier to fast-food giant Taco Bell is being investigated as a possible source for a nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak that has sickened thousands of people.
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Cyclosporiasis outbreak possibly traced to lettuce from Mexico used by Taco Bell, source says
A lettuce supplier to fast-food giant Taco Bell is being investigated as a possible source for a nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak that has sickened thousands of people, a source familiar with the investigation told CBS News on Thursday.
The source said a traceback investigation by the Food and Drug Administration identified a single supplier of iceberg lettuce from Mexico, Taylor Farms, that was used by Taco Bell locations in five states where people who contracted cyclosporiasis ate. The FDA is investigating, the source said.
Taylor Farms, based in Salinas, California, is a supplier to several major restaurant chains across the U.S.
"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," Taco Bell said in a statement Thursday. "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."
CBS News has reached out to Taylor Farms for comment as well.
The outbreak, a diarrheal illness caused by the parasite cyclospora, was first reported in early May and has since spread to 34 states, according to the latest numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It has sickened at least 1,645 people, per CDC data, including at least 141 hospitalizations. But the CDC's tally lags behind state health departments, which have reported much larger numbers of cases. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reported Thursday at least 4,312 confirmed cases, including 102 that required hospitalization.
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