In a proactive measure to protect public health, Taylor Fresh Foods, a prominent fruit and vegetable producer, has decided to voluntarily withdraw all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market. This decision comes amid a spreading cyclosporiasis outbreak that has so far affected over 1,600 individuals nationwide.
A recall notice from the Food and Drug Administration, issued on Saturday, highlights that the shredded lettuce in question was distributed across 27 states between June 29 and July 16. The states impacted include Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Taylor Fresh Foods elaborated in the notice, stating, “We are actively removing the implicated products. The company has stopped receiving product from the implicated lot, suspended distribution of the iceberg lettuce from Central Mexico, notified our customers, and we are continuing to work with the FDA, CDC, and state authorities.”
The recall encompasses various products, including Marketside-brand items available at certain Walmart stores. Additionally, some of these now-recalled products were sent to food service clients, highlighting the breadth of the distribution.
As of Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has indicated that this multistate outbreak remains a subject of investigation. The issue has now been traced back to shredded iceberg lettuce used at select Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that its traceback investigation had identified a single supplier of iceberg lettuce from Mexico that was used at those Taco Bell locations.
In a statement, Taco Bell said it had taken “immediate action to voluntarily remove potentially impacted lettuce from a supplier in select states” following “ongoing conversations with public health officials.”
“We believe public health is a shared responsibility among restaurants, their suppliers, and authorities, and we are proud to have consistently acted quickly and proactively to protect our guests,” the statement read in part. “Taco Bell has taken precautionary action, and we encourage all relevant restaurants, retailers, and foodservice operators to do the same.”
The CDC and FDA said they are also investigating other cyclosporiasis illnesses that may be unrelated to the lettuce supplied to Taco Bell restaurants, “in collaboration with state and local partners.” Overall, there have been more than 1,644 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis across the country, with 94 hospitalizations and no reported deaths so far.
Cyclosporiasis cases happen every year, but there have been more reported this year than in general.
In a statement to ABC News on Friday, Taylor Fresh Foods said in part, “While the FDA traceback is indicating a specific independent farm, which represents less than 1% of the U.S.’s iceberg lettuce supply, as the potential source of the outbreak, we have removed all iceberg lettuce from the region indefinitely.”
Taylor Farms, a subsidiary of Taylor Fresh Foods, supplies fruits and vegetables to many restaurants and grocery stores throughout the U.S., sourcing and processing the food