Taco Bell announced Thursday it is pulling lettuce from select locations after the Food and Drug Administration launched an investigation into iceberg lettuce supplied to the chain as a potential culprit in a cyclosporiasis outbreak that has spread across several states.
The company said in a statement that it acted voluntarily and out of caution after consulting with public health officials. “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 statement read.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 400 cases of cyclosporiasis in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky as of Monday, though state-level figures are far higher. Michigan’s Health and Human Services Department alone has tallied 4,312 infections as of Thursday.
Cyclosporiasis is a parasitic infection that can cause severe diarrhea lasting weeks, and while rarely fatal, it often requires hospitalization. The CDC is urging anyone with symptoms to contact their healthcare provider and to report confirmed cases to public health authorities.
The FDA has not yet confirmed a specific food source for the outbreak, but investigators are interviewing patients to narrow down what they ate before falling ill. The agency’s probe into Taco Bell’s supplier, Taylor Farms, is ongoing. The Hill has reached out to the FDA for comment.
Taco Bell emphasized that no official advisory has been issued, but defended its decision as a preventive measure. “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,” the company said.
The outbreak comes amid broader concerns about cyclosporiasis surveillance. The CDC has previously warned that cases may be severely underreported due to testing gaps, and investigators are now racing to identify the source as the number of infections climbs.
In a related development, the CDC is also probing a separate surge in cyclosporiasis cases that has pushed the national total past 1,600, raising questions about potential gaps in the food safety system. That investigation is ongoing.
Taco Bell urged other restaurants and retailers to take similar precautions, saying it hopes its actions will encourage industry-wide vigilance. The company has not disclosed which states are affected by the lettuce removal or how long the measure will remain in place.
