A parasite that causes prolonged bouts of watery diarrhea has been spreading across parts of the Midwest, sickening more than 1,600 people and sending dozens to hospitals.
\nIn the most recent update from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the illnesses have now been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants.
\nThis update has turned what began as a public-health investigation into a major food-supply problem for one of the country\u2019s largest fast-food chains.
\nCyclospora is a microscopic parasite that can contaminate food or water through contact with fecal matter.\u00a0
\nUnlike some common stomach illnesses that pass within a few days, cyclospora infections can cause symptoms that last for weeks or even longer.
\nThe most common symptom is frequent, watery diarrhea.\u00a0
\nPeople may also experience stomach cramps, bloating, nausea, fatigue, weight loss, vomiting, body aches, headaches, and fever.\u00a0
\nSymptoms can improve over time, but also return if the infection is not treated.
\nSo far, the FDA has connected 1,644 illnesses to shredded iceberg lettuce from Mexico served at Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.
\nAt least 94 people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported.\u00a0
\nIllnesses began between May 13 and July 13, according to the FDA.
\nNow the produce company identified as Taco Bell\u2019s lettuce supplier is taking broader action.
\nTaylor Farms said July 17 that its Mexican operation is voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market.
\nTaylor Farms pulls Mexican iceberg lettuce amid cyclospora outbreak
\nTaylor Farms said the FDA\u2019s traceback investigation identified a specific independent farm in central Mexico as the potential source of the outbreak.
\nThe farm accounts for less than 1% of the iceberg lettuce supplied in the U.S., according to the company.
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Still, Taylor Farms said it is indefinitely removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from the region, rather than limiting the action to the individual farm under investigation.
\n\u201cAs a family-owned company, we are deeply concerned for those who became ill, their families, and the Americans whose trust in the safety of fresh produce has been shaken,\u201d Taylor Farms said.
\nThe FDA has not named Taylor Farms on its public outbreak page.\u00a0
\nHowever, news organizations, including The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the investigation, identified Taylor Farms as the supplier of the shredded lettuce served at affected Taco Bell restaurants.
\nInvestigators reviewed food histories from people who reported eating at Taco Bell before becoming sick.
\nOf 190 patients included in the ingredient-level analysis, 90% reported eating iceberg lettuce.\u00a0
\nThe FDA\u2019s traceback investigation then converged on one supplier of Mexican iceberg lettuce used at restaurants where customers later became ill.
\nFederal and state officials have begun collecting samples for testing. The FDA has also increased border screening for products implicated in the investigation.
\nTaylor Farms has issued removal of all iceberg lettuce from linked supplier of parasitic outbreak.
\nJustin Sullivan / Getty Images<\/p>\n
Taco Bell removes supplier\u2019s lettuce nationwide
\nTaco Bell had already begun removing potentially affected lettuce from restaurants in select states after consulting public-health officials.
\nThe chain then expanded that response by indefinitely removing the ingredient from the supplier across its nationwide supply chain.
\n\u201cThe affected ingredient from our supplier is being indefinitely removed from our supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within 24 hours in select states,\u201d Taco Bell said.
\nThe FDA said Taco Bell committed to stopping the use of any lettuce from the supplier identified in the traceback investigation.
\nBut the agency also warned that additional states, restaurant chains, retailers, brands, or distribution channels could be identified as the investigation continues.
\nTaylor Farms addresses packaged salad concerns
\nThe supplier\u2019s name has caused anxiety beyond Taco Bell, as Taylor Farms has a large presence in both the restaurant and grocery industries.
\nTaylor Farms operates across retail, food-service, and prepared-food or deli businesses.\u00a0
\nThe company website says it has 22 production locations across North America, more than 24,000 employees, and supplies over 265 million servings of fresh food every week.
\nIt also says it makes two out of every five value-added salads sold in the U.S.
\nTaylor Farms grows about one-quarter of its vegetables and obtains the rest through partnerships with 280 family-owned farms.\u00a0
\nIt also works with more than 800 ingredient suppliers.
\nThe company produces whole vegetables, washed and cut produce, salad kits, snack products, and ready-to-eat meals.\u00a0
\nIt also manufactures private-label foods that may be sold under retailers\u2019 or other businesses\u2019 names.
\nIts known business relationships include Walmart, which named Taylor Farms its Food Supplier of the Year in 2022, and Gordon Food Service, a major distributor serving restaurants and institutional customers.
\nHowever, the size of the company\u2019s network does not mean all Taylor Farms products or customers are connected to the outbreak.
\nTaylor Farms said none of its branded salads or salad kits are associated with the current illnesses.
\nThe company also said its branded salad kits do not contain iceberg lettuce.
\nThat distinction is important because consumers have questioned online whether they should discard Taylor Farms salad kits and other packaged products unrelated to Taco Bell.
\nThe FDA has not issued a blanket warning covering every Taylor Farms item, every packaged salad, or all iceberg lettuce sold nationwide.
\nTaylor Farms was also tied to McDonald\u2019s E.coli outbreak
\nThe Taco Bell investigation is the second major fast-food outbreak in less than two years involving produce supplied by Taylor Farms.
\nIn October 2024, an E. coli outbreak was linked to slivered onions served on McDonald\u2019s Quarter Pounders.
\nThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified Taylor Farms as the supplier of onions sent to the affected McDonald\u2019s restaurants.
\nThe outbreak ultimately sickened 104 people across 14 states, and 34 people were hospitalized, while one person died.
\nAt the time, McDonald\u2019s temporarily removed Quarter Pounders from restaurants in affected markets, then returned them without slivered onions.
\nThe outbreak also weighed on customer traffic and contributed to weaker U.S. comparable sales at McDonald\u2019s during the quarter.
\n\u201cThe E.coli outbreak from the Quarter Pounder, which led to a temporary menu removal and a decline in visits, continues to have a lingering negative impact on sales,\u201d read the company report.
\nThis underscores how quickly a problem involving a single ingredient can become a financial and reputational threat for a national restaurant chain.
\nTaco Bell may now face the same challenge, although there is no evidence yet showing that the cyclospora outbreak has reduced its sales.
\nThe chain\u2019s decision to remove the supplier\u2019s lettuce nationwide could help contain the damage, especially if federal officials do not connect the product to additional restaurants or states.
\nWhat to avoid in parasitic diarrhea outbreak
\nThe FDA advises consumers not to eat food containing shredded iceberg lettuce from Mexico served at Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.
\nConsumers outside those five states have not been advised to avoid Taco Bell lettuce.
\nAnyone who purchased affected Taco Bell food should clean and sanitize any containers or surfaces that may have come into contact with the lettuce.
\nPeople who experience frequent watery diarrhea or other symptoms after eating Taco Bell lettuce in one of the five states should contact a health care provider.
\nCyclospora infections can be treated with prescription medication, but untreated illnesses may persist for weeks and can lead to dehydration.
\nPeople with weakened immune systems may face a greater risk of prolonged or serious illness.
\nThe FDA\u2019s investigation remains ongoing, meaning the list of affected businesses, products, and states could still expand.
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