Thousands of fast-food customers have fallen ill across five US states after eating contaminated lettuce, leading to a massive recall of iceberg lettuce.
The outbreak is caused by a microscopic parasite called Cyclospora, which infects the human stomach and intestines. It leads to cyclosporiasis, an infection that causes watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, low fevers, and body aches. These painful symptoms can take up to two weeks to appear and can last for weeks, sometimes returning after they seem to have gone away. While no deaths have been reported, around 100 people have been hospitalized because of the infection.
The illnesses are linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. In Michigan alone, authorities have reported thousands of cases. In response, Taco Bell has indefinitely removed the lettuce from its supply chain in the affected states.
The lettuce was supplied by Taylor Farms, a massive food producer that sells more than $7 billion of produce each year. Taylor Farms has voluntarily removed all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the US market.
Health officials traced the source of the outbreak to a single independent farm in Mexico, which represents less than 1% of the iceberg lettuce supply in the US. However, finding the source was extremely difficult. Experts say the investigation was slowed down by recent budget cuts at federal health agencies, which left them with fewer food safety inspectors. In addition, the US government recently delayed a new food safety rule that would require companies to keep better records of where their food comes from.