Health authorities identified iceberg lettuce as a possible source of a 15-state cyclospora outbreak, and Taylor Farms pulled its iceberg lettuce from central Mexico from the U.S. market. People who bought the recalled lettuce were told to discard it immediately.
As of Aug. 4, more than 22,000 confirmed or suspected cyclosporiasis cases had been reported in 47 U.S. states since May. The Food and Drug Administration was also investigating six separate cyclospora outbreaks nationwide, while Michigan had reported over 12,485 cases, 279 hospitalizations and two deaths.
FDA and Taylor Farms
The lettuce was served at Taco Bell and supplied by Taylor Farms, which issued a nationwide recall of its iceberg lettuce from central Mexico. Taco Bell removed all affected lettuce from its supply chain, and the recalled products were distributed to 27 states.
That spread helps explain why a single supply chain issue can touch far more places than the outbreak count itself. A lot of people may eat the same product in different states before anyone connects the cases.
Donald Schaffner on tracebacks
Donald Schaffner, a professor of food microbiology in the Department of Food Science at Rutgers University, said, "I don’t think there’s enough evidence to suggest that we should stop eating fresh produce." His point was narrower than a blanket warning: many cases and some outbreaks never get traced to a specific source.
Wade Syers, a food safety specialist with Michigan State University Extension, said, "I haven’t stopped eating fresh produce or done anything extreme." His advice fits the same pattern of caution without panic, even as health authorities keep looking for the source of the other cases.
Michigan cases and open questions
State authorities said it appeared the deadly cyclospora outbreak in Michigan was slowing. Michigan still accounted for the largest number of reported illnesses in the facts available, with more than 12,485 cases, plus 279 hospitalizations and two deaths.
Although iceberg lettuce was identified as a possible source, experts said it may not be the only food driving the surge in cyclosporiasis cases. Whether the other cyclospora outbreaks are connected to the same source has not been answered, and investigators are still working through that question.
For people who have the recalled lettuce, the next step is simple: throw it out and do not eat it. For everyone else, the careful move is to keep buying produce from trusted sources while the investigation continues, because the current evidence points to one lettuce supply chain but does not close the case.
