FDA probes Taco Bell lettuce link in cyclospora outbreak
CBS News reported that Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce from Mexico is being investigated as a possible source of an outbreak that has sickened at least 1,645 people.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
Iceberg lettuce from Mexico used at Taco Bell restaurants in five states is under federal scrutiny as a possible link to a cyclosporiasis outbreak that has sickened at least 1,645 people, CBS News reported.
A person familiar with the inquiry told CBS News that a Food and Drug Administration traceback review pointed to Taylor Farms, a Salinas, California-based supplier, as a single supplier of the lettuce used by Taco Bell locations where some people who became ill had eaten.
The FDA is investigating the possible connection, according to the person cited by CBS News. The report did not say the lettuce has been confirmed as the cause of the outbreak.
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by the cyclospora parasite. The outbreak was first reported in early May and has reached 34 states, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cited by CBS News.
CDC data shows at least 141 people have been hospitalized, CBS News reported. No deaths have been reported. State health officials have reported higher case totals than the CDC count, with Michigan accounting for the largest share of cases, according to the report.
Taco Bell said earlier this week that it had pulled some ingredients from certain restaurants for a limited time as a precaution because of the outbreak, CBS News reported. The company described the move as voluntary and temporary.
CBS News said it contacted both Taco Bell and Taylor Farms for comment. The report did not include a response from Taylor Farms.
What investigators are looking at
The reported traceback centers on Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce from Mexico and Taco Bell restaurants in five states where people who later developed cyclosporiasis had eaten, according to the person familiar with the investigation.
Taylor Farms supplies several major restaurant chains in the United States, CBS News reported. On its website, the company describes itself as a major global producer of salads and fresh foods, with production sites in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Western Europe.
The company has been connected to a separate food-safety incident before. Last year, an E. coli outbreak was linked to onions supplied to multiple restaurants from a Taylor Farms facility in Colorado, CBS News reported. McDonald’s briefly stopped using onions on Quarter Pounders at some locations during that outbreak.
The current cyclosporiasis investigation remains focused on finding the source of the parasite outbreak. Federal officials have not reported fatalities, and the CBS News report did not identify any confirmed contaminated product.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.