Taylor Farms Fresh Foods announced Friday it is voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico amid a cyclosporiasis outbreak. The recall comes after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provided information to the company linking it to the outbreak.
Nearly 7,000 people have been affected by the outbreak, which has been linked to tainted lettuce found at Taco Bell locations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that the FDA's traceback investigation identified a single supplier of iceberg lettuce from Mexico used by these Taco Bell restaurants.
While neither the CDC nor the FDA have officially identified the supplier, The Associated Press and The Washington Post have reported it to be Taylor Farms. The California-based company supplies produce, including leafy greens and pre-packaged salad kits, to major fast-food chains such as Taco Bell, McDonald's, Burger King, and Chipotle.
Taco Bell has already removed the potentially contaminated produce from its supply chain indefinitely. Taylor Farms has clarified that no Taylor Farms branded salads or kits are associated with this outbreak and that their branded salad kits do not contain iceberg lettuce. The company's produce is also sold at retailers including Target, Whole Foods, Walmart, and Amazon Fresh, but there has been no indication that the implicated shredded iceberg lettuce reached these stores.