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A California farm is at the center of the nationwide explosive diarrhea crisis that has left thousands clinging to their toilets and hospitalized others.
Salinas-based Taylor Farms has been identified as a possible source of tainted iceberg lettuce connected to the summer outbreak of cyclosporiasis, The Washington Post reported, citing two individuals with knowledge of the investigation.
Taylor Farms, described on its website as a leading producer of salad kits, vegetable trays, cheese packs and other snack items, also supplies iceberg lettuce to Taco Bell — which investigators have linked to the diarrhea outbreak.
“The signal we have gotten is that there is a very high percentage of people who got sick at Taco Bell, and when investigators asked what their menu items were in common, lettuce came up frequently,” said one of the individuals who spoke to the Washington Post.
Taylor Farms issued a statement on its website Friday saying it is “voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico.”
“While the FDA traceback is indicating a specific independent farm that represents less than 1% of the U.S.’s iceberg lettuce supply as the potential source of the outbreak, we have removed all iceberg lettuce from the region indefinitely,” the company wrote.
The company specified that none of its salad kits contain iceberg lettuce, and no “Taylor Farms-branded salads or kits are associated with this outbreak.”
Taylor Farm’s products are sold at major grocery chains including Safeway, Whole Foods, Mollie Stone, Target, Walmart, and FoodsCo, according to its website.
Michigan has been particularly hard hit by the cyclosporiasis outbreak, reporting more than 5,000 cases as of Friday, according to Associated Press.
More than 100 people in that state have been hospitalized, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal infection caused by a parasite that transmits through contaminated food and water. It causes a range of unpleasant symptoms — including sudden, watery diarrhea, cramping, bloating, and fatigue.
No deaths from the outbreak have been reported.
Michigan authorities previously said that, based on interviews with over 1,000 patients, leafy greens were suspected as the source causing hundreds of cases of the stomach illness.
The CDC warned consumers Thursday avoid shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.
Several Taco Bell favorites, including tacos, the Crunchwrap Supreme and Cantina Chicken menu items, contain the iceberg lettuce — forcing Taco Bell to pull items off the menu to avoid potentially sickening customers.
“The health and safety of our guests is our top priority,” Taco Bell Corp. said in a statement, adding that it “voluntarily and temporarily removed limited ingredients at select restaurants as a precautionary measure.”
Taylor Farms has production facilities across the US, Canada, Mexico, and Western Europe, and supplies lettuce to Burger King and McDonald’s.
It’s not the first time the California veggie producer has been linked to an outbreak of illness.
Taylor Farms was previously linked to an E. coli outbreak at McDonald’s stemming from its raw onions. There were 104 people impacted by that outbreak, including one death.
A subsequent FDA inspection of the Taylor Farms facility found numerous violations in food safety procedures.
Taylor Farms did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
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