Sysco halts purchases of Mexican iceberg lettuce amid cyclospora investigation

Sysco Corp., the United States' largest food distributor, said it will stop purchasing iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico while the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigate a multistate cyclospora outbreak. The decision was announced by CEO Kevin Hourican, who said the company has already ceased distribution of the implicated lettuce and recalled affected products before Taylor Farms, the grower, issued its own voluntary recall.

The outbreak, linked to lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico and sold under the Taylor Fresh Foods and Marketside brands, has sickened more than 11,200 people nationwide and is associated with two deaths in Michigan, according to state health officials. While investigators have not ruled out other foods, lettuce and salad greens remain a possible source.

Hourican told Reuters, "We're not buying iceberg lettuce from them, and we're not buying it from Mexico. To the degree that we can further diversify our procurement, that is something we're actively working on." He added that Sysco is now sourcing iceberg lettuce from U.S. growers and is working to replace the volume previously obtained from the Mexican supplier.

Cyclosporiasis, caused by the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis, typically produces watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Health officials note the illness is rarely fatal, and the two Michigan deaths involved individuals with serious underlying health conditions that may have been aggravated by the infection.