Shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia is the confirmed source of a Cyclospora outbreak causing explosive, watery diarrhea across the country. The CDC and FDA traced the contamination to a single Mexican supplier identified by the Washington Post as Taylor Farms.
Taylor Farms is not a first-time offender. The company was implicated in a 2024 multi-state E. coli outbreak tied to contaminated onions at McDonald's and other fast-food chains. FDA inspectors subsequently found multiple sanitary violations at a Taylor Farms facility in Colorado.
Federal authorities have not officially named the supplier, and no recall has been announced as of this writing. The full article details the traceback investigation methodology, the scope of illness, and what the repeat appearance of one supplier means for food safety oversight of cross-border produce operations.
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