CDC Links Taco Bell Lettuce to Cyclosporiasis Outbreak

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia as the source of a widespread cyclosporiasis outbreak. As of Tuesday, the CDC reported 1,645 lab-confirmed cases, with 145 hospitalizations nationwide but no deaths.

A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation identified Taylor Farms, headquartered in Salinas, California, as the supplier of the contaminated lettuce. The CDC is working with Taylor Farms to determine if potentially contaminated shredded iceberg lettuce remains on the market, including in other states. According to Los Angeles Times, Taco Bell has voluntarily removed the affected ingredient from its supply chain nationwide and committed to replacing it within 24 hours in affected states.

The outbreak, which began on May 1, has seen Michigan particularly hard-hit with over 5,000 cases reported by state health officials. The CDC is investigating nearly 7,000 confirmed or suspected cases across dozens of states. Typically, California sees about 40 cases of cyclosporiasis a year. Cyclosporiasis can be treated with antibiotics but can last for weeks and cause dehydration if left untreated.

The CDC advises consumers to avoid consuming food or water at risk of contamination with feces and to follow general food safety preparation guidelines. Taco Bell has also removed pico de gallo, guacamole, and cilantro onion from its menu in some locations as a precautionary measure. According to Reuters, the company posted notices at several locations stating that these ingredients would not be served due to a nationwide recall.

The CDC's announcement comes after public health officials investigated Taco Bell locations in the Detroit area after the chain voluntarily stopped selling lettuce, cilantro, onion, pico de gallo and guacamole. According to Los Angeles Times, Taylor Farms was also implicated in a 2013 cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to salad mix from Taylor Farms de Mexico in Guanajuato, Mexico.

Mexico’s health and agricultural ministries announced they are investigating the outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce grown in Mexico and sold at Taco Bell. Cofepris and Senasica have formed an interagency technical working group conducting inspections and traceability analyses to mitigate potential health risks. The agencies emphasized that identifying the country of origin does not confirm contamination occurred in Mexico.

Taylor Farms is voluntarily recalling iceberg lettuce in 27 states due to potential cyclosporiasis contamination. The recalled product was distributed between June 29 and July 16, with affected states including Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts, and Texas. California and New York were not included in the recall.

A Chicago man who contracted cyclosporiasis shared his uncomfortable experience, emphasizing the importance of preventing others from getting sick. He was hospitalized and treated for severe diarrhea, nausea, bloating, and fatigue. Taco Bell has removed affected lettuce from its restaurants, and two lawsuits have been filed over the outbreak.

Produce giant Taylor Farms is under renewed scrutiny after it voluntarily recalled iceberg lettuce linked to the nation's unusually large cyclosporiasis outbreak. Food safety experts say that while recalls are inevitable for a produce supplier the size of Taylor Farms, the current outbreak is unusual because of its scale and the number of people sickened.

More than 5,000 cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported, far exceeding the typical annual level of roughly 200 to 1,000 cases. Because cyclospora infections can cause severe diarrhea lasting days or even weeks, some consumers are avoiding leafy greens and other fresh produce commonly associated with the parasite while investigators search for the source.

Taylor Farms did not immediately respond to CBS News' request for comment. The company employs 25,000 people and booked $6 billion in revenue in 2022, ranking it among the largest produce suppliers in the U.S. Its sheer size positions it as a key supplier of lettuce and other produce to major retailers like Walmart, Costco, Target, Whole Foods, and restaurant chains Taco Bell and McDonald's.

On July 17, Taylor Farms voluntarily recalled potentially affected iceberg lettuce from central Mexico after federal investigators established a link between lettuce served at some Taco Bell restaurants and Taylor Farms de Mexico. The company said that the FDA had identified a single independent farm, accounting for less than 1% of the U.S.'s iceberg lettuce supply, as the potential source of the outbreak.

On Sunday, the FDA backtracked, saying that a test that showed contaminated iceberg lettuce was a false positive. In response, Taylor Farms issued a statement saying the agency 'apologized to us.' However, on Monday, the FDA said that the 'false-positive lab sample DOES NOT change the basis for [the] FDA's ongoing outbreak investigation or the overwhelming epidemiological data supporting the current voluntary recall by Taylor Farms.'

The false positive 'doesn't call into question the conclusion of the outbreak investigation,' Jennifer McEntire, founder of food safety consulting firm Food Safety Strategy, told CBS News. Had the positive test been confirmed, 'it could've resulted in a substantially expanded recall.'

Taylor Farms has been connected to several previous food safety investigations and recalls. In 2024, Taylor Farms supplied slivered onions served on McDonald's Quarter Pounders that were contaminated with E. coli, leading to one death and more than 100 illnesses according to the FDA.

Foot traffic at Taco Bell restaurants across the U.S. was down by 19% on Friday compared to the average number of visits on a Friday for the rest of the year, according to R.J. Hottovy, head of analytical research at Placer.ai, a location analytics firm measuring foot traffic at retailers and restaurants.

Consumers reacted even before federal officials linked Taylor Farms' produce served at Taco Bell, with some consumers sharing tips about where they had eaten before falling ill with cyclosporiasis. A brand that has suffered a food safety incident can recover from reputational damage if it's transparent with the public, experts told CBS News.

On Friday, Taco Bell preemptively removed potentially contaminated food items from its menus in certain states before any recalls had been announced. 'They got out ahead of the story. They didn't wait for the FDA or the CDC, and that's good,' Sandra Eskin, the CEO of Stop Foodborne Illness and the former deputy undersecretary of food safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, told CBS News.

The full impact of the outbreak on the reputations of Taylor Farms, Taco Bell and other stakeholders won't be known for some time. 'There is still a lot of uncertainty, and we don't have full clarity. We will have to wait to determine just what happened and who is at fault to be able to say which brand will be hit the hardest,' Hottovy said.