FDA examines Taco Bell lettuce supplier in cyclosporiasis outbreak
Federal investigators are looking at Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce supplied to Taco Bell as illnesses rise across several Midwestern states.
By Tom Brennan · Health & Medicine Correspondent
3 min read
The Food and Drug Administration is investigating iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms to Taco Bell as a possible source of a cyclosporiasis outbreak in the Midwest, NBC News reported, citing a person familiar with the inquiry. The investigation matters because the parasitic illness can cause severe diarrhea lasting for weeks, and confirmed and suspected cases have climbed across the country.
The Washington Post first reported that Taylor Farms was being examined as a possible source, according to NBC News. Taylor Farms and Yum Brands, Taco Bell’s parent company, did not immediately respond to NBC News requests for comment.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said nearly 7,000 people nationwide may have been sickened, according to NBC News. The CDC has confirmed 1,645 cases, while more than 5,100 remain under investigation. No deaths have been reported, the CDC said.
The CDC earlier this week announced an investigation into more than 400 cases in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky, NBC News reported. Health experts told NBC News that the Midwest cluster is not likely to explain all illnesses across the country, and that more than one outbreak source may be involved.
Michigan reports thousands of cases
Michigan has reported the largest number of illnesses this summer, with 4,312 cases as of Thursday, according to NBC News. The state’s figures can run ahead of CDC counts, which often lag state reporting. Michigan’s health department said 102 people in the state have been hospitalized.
Michigan health officials had already identified lettuce and salad greens as a possible source after conducting more than 1,000 interviews with people who tested positive, NBC News reported. Pinpointing a source has been difficult because the parasite’s incubation period can last as long as two weeks, making it harder for sick people to identify what they ate before symptoms began.
Taco Bell said Tuesday that it had “voluntarily and temporarily removed limited ingredients” from some restaurants as a precaution, according to NBC News. The company also said public health officials had not confirmed a connection to Taco Bell or to any specific ingredient, supplier, restaurant or retailer.
Past outbreaks linked to Taylor Farms
Taylor Farms has previously been tied to a cyclosporiasis outbreak, NBC News reported. In 2013, health officials concluded that 631 people in 25 states became ill from a salad mix linked to the company. Many cases occurred in Iowa and Nebraska among people who had eaten at Olive Garden and Red Lobster, and investigators traced the outbreak to a Taylor Farms processing facility in Mexico.
Health officials also identified Taylor Farms as the source of slivered onions linked to a 2024 E. coli outbreak involving McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers, according to NBC News. The FDA said 104 people in 14 states were sickened in that outbreak. Nearly three dozen were hospitalized, four people developed severe kidney problems and one older adult in Colorado died.
Federal and state investigators have not announced a confirmed source for the current cyclosporiasis outbreak, according to NBC News.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.