Earlier this week, it was revealed that popular food-chain Taco Bell was under investigation over its connection to the outbreak.<\/p>\n
Now, a fresh produce company has pulled lettuce from suppliers in a move prompted by the Food and Drug Administration.<\/p>\n
Taylor Fresh Foods said all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico would be removed from the US.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile the FDA traceback is indicating a specific independent farm, which represents less than 1% of the US\u2019s iceberg lettuce supply, as the potential source of the outbreak, we have removed all iceberg lettuce from the region indefinitely,\u201d the statement said, published by NBC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cNo other Taylor Fresh Foods products across the country are impacted.\u201d<\/p>\n On the same day, the FDA advised patrons of Taco Bell to avoid the lettuce.<\/p>\n \u201cDo not eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Mexico served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia,\u201d it read.<\/p>\n Taco Bell issued a statement saying that impacted lettuce was removed voluntarily and it would be replaced with lettuce from an alternate supplier.<\/p>\n \u201cPublic health is a shared responsibility among restaurants, their suppliers, and authorities, and we are proud to have consistently acted quickly and proactively to protect our guests,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n \u201cWe encourage all relevant restaurants, retailers, and food-service operators to do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n The state of Michigan has been the hardest hit by the outbreak, with hundreds of cases reported each day.<\/p>\n As of July 13, 141 people had been hospitalised with the parasite and cases had been reported across 34 states.<\/p>\n Investigators believe the actual number of cases could be much higher.<\/p>\n \u201cWe assume a 6-week reporting lag between illness onset and case reporting to CDC; therefore, we anticipate that case counts will continue to rise as data are received,\u201d a spokesperson said on their website.<\/p>\n Usually, the parasite is contracted by consuming water or food contaminated by faeces.<\/p>\n The Cyclospora parasite is a \u201cnationally notifiable disease\u201d meaning all cases must be reported to the government by health officials.<\/p>\n![\"US](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/9688d3153ae2f3190a73c7973caae51c9cc730a5.jpg\")
US authorities are warning people not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell in five states. Credit: AAP<\/p>\n