WHAT HAS BEEN RECALLED?
Shredded iceberg lettuce products from Taylor Farms were recalled in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. Taco Bell temporarily stopped serving lettuce, cilantro, onions, pico de gallo and guacamole.
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key background
Cyclosporiasis, an illness caused by the cyclospora parasite, is notoriously hard to trace because the parasite is difficult to detect on production. Identifying it has been likened to finding “a needle in a haystack,” and contaminated food is often eaten weeks before patients become sick, making it harder to trace exactly what caused the illness. The contamination of produce can occur in irrigation water or during growing rather than in processing, and investigators are often forced to rely heavily on epidemiology and traceback investigations instead of laboratory confirmation. The resulting intestinal illness causes watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, cramping and other symptoms. It is rarely fatal, and no deaths have been linked to the current outbreak.
further reading
ForbesHere’s Where The Cyclosporiasis Outbreak Stands After Taylor Farms’ False PositiveBy Mary Whitfill Roeloffs
ForbesCyclosporiasis Theories Are Spreading Online. Here’s What’s True.By Mary Whitfill RoeloffsForbesTaco Bell Lettuce Linked To Multistate Cyclosporiasis Outbreak—But Not Every Sick Person Ate ThereBy Mary Whitfill Roeloffs