Lettuce served at Taco Bell traced to nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak

Public health officials rely on a network of patient interviews, laboratory testing, and coordination across state lines to identify the source of foodborne illness outbreaks. That process recently helped investigators trace a widespread cyclosporiasis outbreak to field-grown iceberg lettuce from central Mexico that was contracted to Taco Bell locations throughout the Midwest.

The parasitic outbreak has resulted in nearly 7,000 confirmed or suspected infections nationwide. While Arizona has reported 19 cases, state health officials say those infections are not connected to the outbreak.

Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association, joined “Arizona Horizon “to discuss the investigation and the questions surrounding the FDA’s response.

“So it’s a food-borne illness, mostly. Sometimes it’s waterborne, but almost always foodborne. And it’s a parasite,” Humble said.

Although testing on the lettuce later showed what the FDA described as a false positive, Humble said the agency’s clarification does not erase the evidence gathered through epidemiological investigations.

“The fact of the matter is all the epidemiology is pointing to the same thing, which is the iceberg lettuce that was sold to Taco Bell,” Humble said. “I don’t think they should have apologized.”

Humble said investigators identified the suspected source by interviewing infected patients and comparing what they had eaten in the weeks before becoming sick. Those interviews all pointed to menu items containing iceberg lettuce served at Midwest Taco Bell locations.

Humble also said that he does not believe recent federal staffing cuts slowed the government’s response to the outbreak, because much of the investigative work is handled by county and state health departments. He does question, however, whether the cuts have made it harder to keep tabs on the issues.

“I don’t think the DOGE cuts and the cuts that Kennedy made at the beginning of the administration slowed down the response to it,” Humble said. “But I do think there’s a chance that the fact that this happened in the first place could be related to those cuts at the FDA.”

Humble said that the FDA field inspectors play an important role in looking at practices at farms that send produce to the U.S. He said fewer inspectors could reduce oversight of irrigation and sanitation practices before contaminated food ever reaches consumers, making future outbreaks more difficult to prevent.