U.S. health authorities say lettuce served at Taco Bell locations is source of diarrhea

U.S. health authorities say lettuce served at Taco Bell locations is source of diarrhea-causing outbreak

Media outlets report supplier of shredded iceberg lettuce is California-based company

Lettuce suspected source of explosive diarrhea outbreak

Federal health officials have identified lettuce from Mexico served by Taco Bell locations across five U.S. states as a source of the widespread outbreak of diarrhea-causing parasite cyclospora.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Thursday confirmed the source and warned consumers not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.

A Food and Drug Administration investigation identified a single supplier of the lettuce. The federal warnings to consumers did not identify the company.

"FDA is working with the supplier of iceberg lettuce to determine if potentially contaminated shredded iceberg lettuce remains on the market," including in other states, the CDC said.

"Taco Bell has committed to stop using any lettuce from the supplier identified by FDA's traceback investigation."

Taco Bell said on Thursday it had removed lettuce from one of its suppliers in some U.S. states.

"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," Taco ​Bell said in a statement.

"The affected ingredient from our supplier is being indefinitely removed from our supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within ​24 hours in select states."

The Washington Post and New York Times each reported Thursday that the supplier of the shredded iceberg was Taylor Farms, the Salinas, Calif., company that has dozens of food processing facilities across North America. Both newspapers cited two persons familiar with the federal inquiry who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Outbreaks less common than with salmonella, E.coli

CDC, FDA and public health officials in several states have been investigating a multistate outbreak of cyclospora infections.

More than 30 states have reported infections this year, and current data from them shows the number of infections surpassing the record U.S. mark of about 4,700 set in 2019. The illness is not usually life threatening and is typically treated with antibiotics.

What is cyclospora? A diarrhea-causing parasite

Cyclospora is a microscopic, spherical parasite that commonly causes watery diarrhea "with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements," according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Outbreaks tend to occur most often in the late spring and summer.

The heat-loving parasite infects the bowels and spreads through feces. In the past, people have been infected by consuming fruits or vegetables that were exposed to feces-contaminated irrigation water.

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The illness, called cyclosporiasis, is less common than foodborne illnesses caused by other germs, including salmonella and E. coli. Many cases are never linked to a specific food or other source and, for years, few U.S. cyclospora outbreaks were reported.

But the number started rising about a decade ago, with a particularly notable spike in 2018 and 2019.

Experts say it's likely that cyclospora cases historically were underreported, in part because some common tests used to check for food poisoning have not been geared to detect cyclospora. They attribute the increasing trend in cases to climate change and better detection.