They found it: guilty lettuce.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday linked shredded iceberg lettuce supplied to Taco Bell restaurants in five states to an ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Specifically, shredded lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms and served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia was traced to a single iceberg lettuce supplier in Mexico and was responsible for 1,644 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis.

The actual number of people who have gotten sick this summer is likely much higher, and the outbreak goes beyond Taco Bell’s supply of shredded lettuce.

Cyclospora infections have spread to 34 states since May 1, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of July 13, the agency had confirmed 1,645 cases and 141 hospitalizations, with no confirmed deaths. Michigan, the hardest hit, has reported more than 4,300 cases of cyclosporiasis in that state alone. It said Monday that its research also pointed to “lettuce or salad greens” as a potential source of contamination.

Taylor Farms did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the cyclospora contamination from Business Insider. As of Thursday evening, their recall page indicated “no active product recalls” for any Taylor Farms products.

Taylor Farms is one of the largest lettuce suppliers in the world, serving restaurants, fast food chains and grocery stores.

Taylor Farms is the world’s largest salad producer, supplying restaurant chains such as Chipotle and McDonald’s, and large grocery stores including Costco, Walmart and Trader Joe’s. The company says it operates 30 processing facilities across North America. It is unclear if this particular outbreak is limited to just Taylor Farms chopped lettuce or if it includes other products and brands.

Late Thursday, Taco Bell said that “based on ongoing conversations with public health officials, and out of an abundance of caution, Taco Bell has taken immediate action to voluntarily remove potentially affected lettuce from a supplier in select states. The affected ingredient from our supplier will be removed indefinitely from our supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within 24 hours in select states.”

Health experts have recommended avoiding bagged lettuce and salads until the outbreak is over, advising consumers to choose whole heads of lettuce, remove the outer layer of leaves, and wash all produce thoroughly. There is no safe way to eliminate cyclospora from produce, so the safest measure is to cook food to at least 158 ​​degrees Fahrenheit.

Cyclospora thrives in the heat of summer. Gwen Biggerstaff, deputy director of foodborne, waterborne and environmental diseases at the CDC, said Tuesday that “we anticipate that we will continue to see an increase in cases possibly through the end of August, which is the end of the cyclosporiasis season.”

Watery diarrhea is a hallmark of the disease.

People who became ill with cyclosporiasis this summer complained of watery diarrhea, cramps and gas. The illness can last for several weeks if untreated. A combination of antibiotics, Bactrim, can treat it.

In recent years, prewashed salad kits and bagged salads from various brands have been identified as common sources of cyclospora contamination. But cyclosporiasis outbreaks have also been linked to other leafy and soft vegetables, such as raspberries, peas, and fresh herbs, including cilantro.

Cyclospora outbreaks are very difficult to pin down, because it takes about a week for symptoms to develop. At that point, it may be difficult to focus on the specific food or food that made someone sick. The parasite itself also has more complex genetics than other pathogens such as E. coli or salmonella, which can make tracing efforts even more difficult.

Amira Roess, a professor of global health and epidemiology at George Mason University and a former CDC “disease detective,” said the contamination may have been introduced when the product was washed at the production facility or on the farm.

“Usually it’s contaminated water that leads to contaminated products,” he said. “In this country, our drinking water is generally not contaminated with parasites. But what is contaminated with parasites are the products that are exposed to environmental waters that are contaminated.”

Taylor Farms has recalled onions and salad kits in recent years

Taylor Farms has been involved in other food recalls in recent years.

In 2024, Taylor Farms recalled yellow onions, including some sent to McDonald’s restaurants, for possible contamination with E. coli. That E. coli outbreak killed one person and sickened more than 100 in more than a dozen states, according to the CDC.

Another recall in 2020 focused on onions sold at Kroger and Walmart, some of which were contaminated with salmonella, the FDA said at the time.

The company has also recalled mislabeled products. Last year, it recalled salad kits that did not disclose that they included soy and sesame, according to the FDA.

This is breaking news.