Taylor Farms lettuce supplied to Taco Bell linked to cyclosporia outbreak

Update: Taco Bell announced Friday evening that it has removed all lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms from its restaurants. In a statement, the company said, "Based on ongoing conversations with public health officials, and out of an abundance of caution, Taco Bell worked swiftly to voluntarily remove the product from restaurants and the affected ingredient has been removed from our supply chain nationwide. We took this action to ensure our guests can enjoy their Taco Bell favorites safely."

Shredded lettuce sourced by Taylor Farms and supplied to Taco Bell restaurants in four states — Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky — has been identified as the potential source of the week-plus-long cyclosporia outbreak that has sickened thousands and hospitalized at least 100 people across more than 30 states.

“The signal we have gotten is that there is a very high percentage of people who got sick at Taco Bell, and when investigators asked what their menu items were in common, lettuce came up frequently,” an anonymous source told the Washington Post Thursday.

Michigan has been hit the hardest by this intestinal illness, which is caused by a microscopic parasite, Cyclospora, that can be transmitted through contaminated fresh produce or water. Symptoms include watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, stomach cramps and bloating, nausea, and fatigue.

In a statement provided Thursday evening, Taco Bell said, “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. 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.

“While no official advisory has been issued, 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. Taco Bell has taken precautionary action, and we encourage all relevant restaurants, retailers, and foodservice operators to do the same.”

On its website, the California-based company said it is the “leading global producer of salads and healthy fresh foods, with production facilities across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Western Europe.”

If the company sounds familiar, that’s because it was the supplier of McDonald’s slivered onions that were the source of the company’s E. coli outbreak in late 2024, which impacted 900 restaurants in 12 states.

A food-safety attorney representing several people sickened by another E. coli outbreak last year also cited Taylor Farms as the source, though the company denied any connection with that case.

This latest outbreak has already led to a lawsuit. A complaint has been filed in the U.S. Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, against Taco Bell franchisee Pacific Bells, as well as unidentified growers, suppliers, and distributors.