Taco Bell has removed ingredients from some stores, with the fast food chain saying it was a precautionary move as thousands of people have become infected with the gastrointestinal disease cyclosporiasis.
The restaurant chain did not identify locations where it has reduced ingredients or where menu items are affected. The Detroit Free Press reported that several metro Detroit locations have stopped selling lettuce and cilantro.
In a statement to USA TODAY, Taco Bell Corp. said it “has voluntarily and temporarily removed a limited number of ingredients from select restaurants as a precautionary measure. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and follow the guidance of public health officials.”
Taco Bell said that public health officials “have not confirmed a link to Taco Bell or any specific ingredient, supplier, restaurant or retailer.”
In Brooklyn, major grocery stores and fast-food chains, including Taco Bell, did not remove products on July 14, according to Reuters.
Outbreak spread in 34 states
Cyclosporiasis, or the disease caused by the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis, has been confirmed in 1,645 cases as of July 13 and more than 5,100 additional cases are under investigation, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC officials said confirmed or suspected cases have been reported in 34 states.
The CDC also said testing and other evidence shows a cluster of cases in four states — Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky — is likely linked. However, the country’s lead public health agency has not publicly identified any common suppliers, distributors or businesses.
Parasite infection can cause watery or explosive diarrhea, cramps, nausea, fatigue, and other symptoms.
Michigan has been particularly hard hit by the outbreak, with more than 2,600 cases as of July 13, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.
what is being investigated
State health officials identified lettuce or salad greens as possible sources but said other foods could not be ruled out.
When asked specifically about Taco Bell, FDA Acting Food Deputy Commissioner Donald Prater said the agency “is continuing its traceback investigation on multiple product lines, including locations that have been reported by case patients before they became ill.”
State and local health department investigators and the Food and Drug Administration are gathering information about where, when and what infected people ate. That information is analyzed along with laboratory testing data, CDC officials said.
Gwen Biggerstaff, deputy director of CDC’s Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases, said July 14, “At this time we do not have a specific source identified, and we are working very hard to collect and analyze those data.”