Taco Bell halts use of lettuce after FDA links it to multi-state cyclosporiasis outbreak

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday that Taco Bell will discontinue use of shredded iceberg lettuce from a single supplier after a traceback investigation linked the ingredient to a multi-state cyclosporiasis outbreak. The outbreak has been associated with more than 1,600 laboratory-confirmed cases across Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with 94 hospitalizations and no deaths reported.

Taco Bell said it had already begun voluntarily removing the potentially affected lettuce from restaurants in the states where cases were identified and would replace the ingredient within 24 hours in those locations. "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," the company said.

While the specific supplier was not named by the FDA, a Washington Post report identified California-based Taylor Farms as a possible source of the shredded lettuce imported from Mexico. The agency advised consumers in the five affected states not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell.

CDC officials noted that the true number of infections could be higher, as some state health departments include probable cases while CDC and FDA report only laboratory-confirmed ones. The parasite that causes cyclosporiasis is typically spread through contaminated food or water and can cause prolonged watery diarrhea, nausea and other gastrointestinal symptoms.

Taco Bell, which operates more than 8,700 restaurants in the United States, said the removal was a precautionary measure and that the ingredient would be replaced promptly in the affected locations.