Taco Bell withdraws lettuce from menu after links to explosive diarrhea
US fast food chain Taco Bell is removing lettuce from its menu in some states after research revealed it may be linked to an epidemic of explosive diarrhea caused by a parasite.
Taco Bell told the BBC that the decision was made “out of an abundance of caution” after discussions with health officials.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says 1,645 people in five states reportedly “exposed” to Taco Bell were infected with cyclosporiasis, a parasitic infection spread through contaminated food or water.
“Do not eat shredded iceberg lettuce food products from Mexico served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia,” the FDA said.
The FDA added that no deaths were reported, but 94 people were hospitalized due to cyclosporiasis infections, which were first detected on May 13.
The company said lettuce from one of its suppliers has been removed indefinitely and will be replaced.
“While no official recommendations have been issued, we believe public health is a shared responsibility between restaurants, their suppliers and authorities,” the restaurant said.
It wasn’t specified in which states the lettuce would be removed from menus, but most of the infections have been reported in Michigan, where more than 3,300 cases have been identified.
Taco Bell did not specify where the lettuce reportedly linked to the outbreak came from, but US media announced the name of the supplier as Taylor Farms. The BBC contacted the company about the news.
It can take about two weeks for symptoms of infections caused by cyclosporiasis to appear.
Watery diarrhea lasting for days, sudden weight loss and loss of appetite are some of the most common symptoms.
Experts told the BBC that tracking the parasite was extremely difficult and could be complicated by cuts to federal health agencies.
“This is not like finding a needle in a haystack. It’s like detecting the microscopic part of a needle in a haystack,” said Steven Manderach, executive director of the Association of Food and Drug Officials.
Madeline Halpert, Kayla Epstein and Grace Goodwin contributed to this report.
