Taco Bell temporarily removed limited ingredients at select restaurants as Michigan and federal and local health officials investigate a Taco Bell parasite outbreak tied to cyclosporiasis. The change came as officials examined whether illnesses reported by some customers were connected to the broader outbreak.
Michigan said on July 13 that current results point to lettuce or salad greens as a potential source, and the state had some 2,600 cases. Michigan also said other food items cannot be completely ruled out, which leaves restaurants and shoppers making decisions before the source is identified.
Michigan and Taco Bell
Taco Bell told CBS News on Tuesday that it had voluntarily and temporarily removed limited ingredients at select restaurants as a precautionary measure. Taco Bell also said public health officials had not confirmed a link to its restaurants or any specific ingredient, supplier, restaurant, or retailer.
The outbreak has not led to a recall, and public health officials have yet to identify the source. Before July, the CDC mandated reporting of cyclosporiasis through FoodNet, a surveillance step meant to track cases of the parasitic illness that can be hard to trace quickly.
Dr. Celine Gounder on fresh produce
Dr. Celine Gounder, CBS News medical correspondent and editor-at-large for Public Health at KFF Health News, said, “This isn't a problem consumers can solve,” and warned, “We basically have to revert to what you'd tell someone traveling to a developing country: Don't eat fresh produce that isn't cooked and can't be peeled.”
She also said, “And a lot of the viral content treats this as gross-out material, explosive diarrhea, played for shock value.” Cyclosporiasis is a diarrheal illness caused by the cyclospora parasite, and it can cause long-lasting bouts of explosive diarrhea leading to severe dehydration.
Michigan lettuce warning
Michigan urged consumers to purchase whole heads of lettuce rather than pre-washed bags of greens. Dr. Nuwan Gunawardhana, an infectious disease expert at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, said, “Until the culprit is found, we really can't put the blame on a certain farm or processing company,” capturing the gap between a suspected source and a named one.
That leaves the practical advice narrow: avoid fresh produce that is not cooked or peeled, and watch for worsening dehydration risks, especially for young children, older adults, and people who are immunocompromised. The next step is for investigators to identify whether the illnesses trace to a specific ingredient, supplier, restaurant, or retailer.
