Produce supplier Taylor Farms is recalling iceberg lettuce shipped to 27 US states over possible contamination with cyclospora, a parasite linked to a growing outbreak of diarrheal illness across the country.
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Walmart pulled four Marketside-branded bagged iceberg lettuce products from select stores as a precaution, saying, “there is no indication that products sold in our stores are affected by the current Cyclospora investigations.”
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Taylor Farms said it is “actively removing” the products and has suspended distribution of iceberg lettuce from Central Mexico to the US and is no longer receiving products from the implicated lot, according to CNN. The company said, “Consumers who have purchased the recalled iceberg lettuce should discard it immediately and not consume it.”
The shredded iceberg lettuce was distributed between June 29 and July 16 across 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.
Federal health officials linked a large cyclospora outbreak in the Midwest to the lettuce, which was served at some Taco Bell restaurants in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia and Kentucky, according to the CDC. Taco Bell said it has removed the lettuce from its restaurants and supply chain nationwide.
Jack in the Box said the recalled lettuce reached stores in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana and it replaced the product with lettuce from another domestic source, adding, “At this time, there have been no reported illnesses associated with food served at Jack in the Box in connection with the FDA’s ongoing investigation.”
Sysco, the nation’s largest food distributor, said it “proactively removed all Taylor Farms processed iceberg lettuce products from Mexico from distribution and instructed customers to destroy them,” per CNN.
According to USA Today, Walmart’s recall notice named four specific products: Marketside Bagged Iceberg Salad (12 oz. and 24 oz.) and Marketside Bagged Shredded Iceberg Salad (8 oz. and 16 oz.). These were sold at select Walmart stores across the same 27 states listed by Taylor Farms.
Walmart said customers who bought these products should not eat them and should discard them or return them to a store for a full refund.
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Symptoms of cyclosporiasis include watery diarrhea, cramping and bloating that can last weeks and lead to dehydration.
Nearly 7,000 confirmed or suspected cases have been reported across 34 states since May 1, according to CDC data. In Michigan alone, more than 5,000 cases have been reported, with 102 people hospitalized as of July 16, according to the state health department.
Michigan’s health department said it “cannot say with certainty that every illness is linked to the same source of exposure,” but added that the sharp rise in cases “strongly suggests that the vast majority of these illnesses are associated with the same outbreak,” which would make it the largest cyclospora outbreak on record in the US.
