Lettuce at Taco Bell in 5 states confirmed as a source of diarrhea-causing parasite

[u/AudibleNod]

https://apnews.com/article/cyclospora-lettuce-taco-bell-cdc-fda-13d9e9ebdc46a4d05a58da2ae8e8d0de

[u/KimJongFunk]

It should be noted that Taylor Farms supplies lettuce to many other fast food chains besides Taco Bell.

Chipotle, McDonald’s, Costco, Trader Joe’s, Burger King, Kroger, Publix, and countless more all use Taylor Farms lettuce.

[u/redcomet002 → u/KimJongFunk]

I've been in restaurants for years, I'd be hard pressed to find one that doesn't get Taylor Farms products. They sell to all the regional distributors as well.

[u/A_Random_Catfish → u/redcomet002]

Yea idk why we’re shifting the blame to Taco Bell…. This stuff almost always comes from the supplier. If I was a TB exec I’d be pissed rn lol

[u/missMcgillacudy → u/A_Random_Catfish]

The only chain to publicly announce that they eliminated all the potential vectors from their menu before the source had even been identified.

Proactive and procedurally correct. Are the other places still selling food with Taylor’s farms lettuce on them? I don’t know, because they didn’t make a big announcement about taking steps to try to stop the spread of the explosive diarrhea.

[u/Viper0us → u/missMcgillacudy]

Grocery stores near me heavily discounted all Taylor farm products last week, so they could move them off the shelves before they were forced to destroy them in an official recall.

Taco Bell catching flak for being proactive and protecting customers is fucking absurd.

[u/ruth1ess_one → u/Viper0us]

That seems so absurd to me the grocery stores are still selling them. Yeah this lettuce might give you horrible diarrhea but hey it’s 90% off.

[u/kookyabird → u/ruth1ess_one]

Horrible diarrhea that doesn't just go away on its own.

[u/Immersi0nn → u/kookyabird]

Well it does if you're not immunocompromised, it just takes like 2 weeks of...shit.

[u/goldbloodedinthe404 → u/Viper0us]

Exactly they were like the only ones doing the right things

[u/DemonCipher13 → u/goldbloodedinthe404]

It seems like doing the right thing is becoming taboo, lately, doesn't it?

Entities only concerned about image never manage to look into a mirror.

[u/Joessandwich → u/DemonCipher13]

This was my thought as well. Next time will they do the responsible thing? I’d sure reconsider based on the way they’re getting dragged in the headlines.

[u/DemonCipher13 → u/Joessandwich]

They have done the responsible thing.

The chastising should be directed at the news agencies for bastardizing them, the farms for allowing this to happen, and the fucking government for being completely antagonistic to the people of this country.

[u/TheAbsoluteWitter → u/DemonCipher13]

Exactly, hence them saying that the incentive for Taco Bell to be proactive the next time this happens has vanished. Much better to be able to sell your affected product for $$$ and not get your name dragged through the mud. Win win

[u/Juju_on_that_bee → u/Joessandwich]

They are being punished for it! Comments need to be praising them and calling out these headlines. Taylor Farms should be dragged.

[u/Echoing_Logos → u/DemonCipher13]

I'm glad to hear that vocalized. I think people are becoming way too comfortable with corporations doing the wrong thing and don't even think about the possibility that well-minded people still have some power. And as time goes by, those well-minded people get more and more punished.

[u/Implausibilibuddy → u/Viper0us]

That is nothing short of purest evil. That means someone high up found out the products they sell were literal poison and decided not to recall them but to try and get them sold faster before the public at large found out. A so called human being actually had that conversation with their underlings, and they went along with it...

[u/KlenexTS → u/Viper0us]

Taco Bell is like, our food gives you diarrhea cause your hungover and eating fast food tacos. IT DOES NOT GIVE YOU DIARRHEA BECAUSE OF PARASITES. They stand with their customers inside and outside the bathroom. Taco Bell strong

[u/MrTigerEyes → u/KlenexTS]

Maybe I'm lucky but I've eaten a lot of Taco Bell in my time and I've never experienced digestive problems as a result. My assumption is that either I have an extraordinary digestive tract or people who frequent fast food have very weak bodies that can't handle a little bit of fiber being introduced through refried beans.

[u/Viper0us → u/MrTigerEyes]

The only people who have issues with Taco Bell are people have 0 fiber in their normal diet.

Their body has 0 idea what to do with Fiber.

[u/ScoobyPwnsOnU → u/missMcgillacudy]

Yea to me it almost seems like all this focus on taco bell is a punishment like "you should have kept your mouth shut like everyone else, stop sowing distrust in american produce"

[u/Fn_Spaghetti_Monster → u/ScoobyPwnsOnU]

I saw a video from a Dr explaining what was going on and the thumbnail was some guy squatting (implying that it was the workers that were the cause) when everyone knows it's from the water/irrigation/humanue used as fertilizer. It's like, you're a DR, you KNOW some random guy squatting in a lettuce field is not the problem, but here you are continuing the stereotype!

[u/Pantone711 → u/Fn_Spaghetti_Monster]

I saw a Youtube that said the problem is the farms not supplying the requred Porta-Potties. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vadA7bY0ZIQ&t=404s

She didn't blame the workers, but the farms.

She said the "humanure" is supposed to be heat-treated.

[u/Jumpy-Coffee-Cat → u/missMcgillacudy]

I know that Chilis didn’t pull theirs until yesterday.

[u/Character_Pudding_94 → u/A_Random_Catfish]

Taco Bell's own statement says that "public health is a shared responsibility among restaurants, their suppliers, and authorities, and we are proud to have consistently acted quickly and proactively to protect our guests."

[u/PhysicalConsistency → u/Character_Pudding_94]

Taco Bell takes it pretty seriously because of the e coli outbreaks in the 90s. They were growing head to head against Jack in the Box then, with Jack in the Box expanding slightly faster. An outbreak flat out killed Jack in the Box growth for a decade, and led many fast food places, especially Taco Bell to adopt way more rigorous food safety practices.

[u/redcomet002 → u/A_Random_Catfish]

Flashier headlines, more attention. The sad state of media in this world anymore.

[u/Odd-Preparation8790 → u/redcomet002]

And farmers can do no wrong of course.

[u/Broy_7 → u/redcomet002]

Literally everything is for maximum engagement. I hate it here.

[u/hakenwithbacon → u/A_Random_Catfish]

Because Taco Bell = diarrhea memes have existed prior to this outbreak, this is just an easy target again.

[u/whatshamilton → u/hakenwithbacon]

They also willingly pulled products before there was any sense of what was causing it, so Trump zeroed in on them as the scapegoat rather than the FDA and CDC that his administration gutted

[u/ghombie → u/whatshamilton]

That's the nut of the story right there. The blame falls on the shoulders of the current administration and its insanity (and all the voters behind it). Let's enjoy all the distractions we will see from that point everywhere. Just a bunch of paid for 'noise' to play on the stupidity of the nation once again.

[u/Auburn_X → u/hakenwithbacon]

That's always been silly to me. If beans, cheese, and a tortilla give you diarrhea, you should restrict your diet to saltine crackers and water.

[u/SpaceSubmarineGunner → u/A_Random_Catfish]

Probably because Taco Bell was the first to voluntarily remove this ingredient and others from their menu before they knew the root cause.

[u/Viper0us → u/SpaceSubmarineGunner]

Meanwhile companies like Kroger heavily discounted all Taylor farms product last week since there was no official recall so they could get it sold before it has to be destroyed.

It's insane that the media is blaming Taco Bell and not the actual culprit (Taylor Farms) just for the "meme".

Taco Bell should legitimately sue for brand damage.

[u/exoriparian → u/Viper0us]

That is extremely shameful, but not remotely surprising.

[u/DontAbideMendacity → u/SpaceSubmarineGunner]

They apparently knew the root cause, or guessed right anyway.

[u/Viper0us → u/DontAbideMendacity]

We knew it was linked to produxe for a while.

We did not know which produce.

Taco Bell knows that they use the largest produce supplier in the world and that many people all over the country are getting sick, but not just from Taco Bell (CDC confirmed many cases have no link to Taco Bell)

Taco Bell decided to proactively stop selling produce until the source of the parasite was identified.

They happened to end up being right that it was Taylor Farms.

Even if they were wrong, it was still the appropriate move.

[u/Vio94 → u/A_Random_Catfish]

Probably a subtle suggestion from the Taylor Farms execs to keep the spotlight off of the company and onto literally any other scapegoat. If they are as large of a supplier as comments in here are implying, they'd be the equivalent of... Big Farma.

[u/leatherdaddy → u/Vio94]

Right. A much more powerful political lobby than Taco Bell. TB is getting scapegoated

[u/jairumaximus → u/KimJongFunk]

Everyone dunking on Taco Bell when it's not their fault and instead the suppliers. Thanks for making sure some people see that.

[u/MassiveDefinition274 → u/jairumaximus]

And ironically this is proving why it's a bad idea to fess up to it. The only person really getting the bad press is Taco Bell, so they're the ones getting punished for doing the right thing.

[u/WoolooOfWallStreet → u/MassiveDefinition274]

Yeah, they were one of the first ones to try and do something about it before it was confirmed and now they are getting thrown under the bus

[u/_GD5_ → u/KimJongFunk]

Taylor Farms is a big supplier with many facilities and customers. If one facility is affected, it doesn’t mean the other ones are too. It’s going to be a lot of work tracking the down the affected product lot by lot.

[u/Strange-Ask-739 → u/_GD5_]

Biden did it w/ McDonalds onions using DNA sequencing in like a week.
But, ya know, SOMEONE cut those programs so we don't have those tools anymore.
Fall of Rome.

[u/flargh_blargh → u/Strange-Ask-739]

We still have the technology. We still have the tools. We lack the money and are tied up in political red tape that keeps us from using them.

That could be solved in under a day if there were any adults in this administration. But if we had elected adults, we wouldn't need them to unfuck that problem to begin with.

[u/ashgs872tbhjs → u/flargh_blargh]

Also the manpower. Most of the people who were fired or quit aren't coming back at all, nevermind in a day. Repairing this kind of damage from Trump is simply not a matter of just waving some money around and boom, instantly it's a well-oiled machine.

[u/happy_and_angry → u/flargh_blargh]

I think you may not appreciate how this works.

It takes time and energy and effort to build all the infrastructure to do literally anything at scale, and it takes zero time to just kind of turn it off. And once it's off, the people with the experience and expertise who ran any government program go do something else, institutions lose knowledge, and it is increasingly difficult to spin back up a formerly extant program or service.

This could not be solved in under a day. Information flows between organizations are gone. People are gone. Lab time and contracts for analysis are gone, or if it was done in-house, the labs are probably gutted and the hardware is gone.

It used to take days because it took years if not decades of incremental improvement to a program / service to make it efficient enough to take days. We are 18 months removed from that reality with a bunch of idiological dipshits running the show with no interest in reversing course.

[u/ADHDick_in_ur_mouth → u/flargh_blargh]

The people who know how to use the tools and tech all got fired and found jobs elsewhere

[u/ManWithASquareHead → u/Strange-Ask-739]

At least the ballroom will be nice.

Oh wait we're not invited? 😔

[u/Bladelink → u/ManWithASquareHead]

Oh wait, also the ballroom isn't nice? They just embezzled the money? Aw dang.

[u/LoveYouNotYou → u/ManWithASquareHead]

Still wouldn't go to that ballroom, even if invited. Him and his minions in one room?! Absolutely not, and who knows the testosterone level?! Hell to the mf no!

[u/ridicalis → u/_GD5_]

Traceability is a solved problem, particularly in food logistics. Whether all players do good traceability (e.g. producers, distributors, the restaurants themselves) is another matter, but assuming everybody's logging what passes hands and when, it should be feasible to get to the bottom of this.

[u/SwissChzMcGeez → u/ridicalis]

Not if this administration wants to sweep it under the rug.

[u/TypeJumpy9246 → u/KimJongFunk]

Is there an easy way to search if a chain I go to has Taylor Farms as their lettuce dealer?

[u/Battlejesus → u/TypeJumpy9246]

Walmart manager here. It isn't just in restaraunts. Prepackaged salads from deli use their lettuce

[u/rotidder_nadnerb → u/Battlejesus]

I ate an insane amount of prepackaged Caesar salad from Walmart 2 days ago…

[u/Battlejesus → u/rotidder_nadnerb]

If it was in a plastic box or bowl its probably Taylor farms. If its a bag Caesar kit with the marketside branding, its still probably Taylor farms

[u/D-ouble-D-utch]

"A Food and Drug Administration investigation identified a single supplier of the lettuce. The federal warnings to consumers did not identify the company, but a federal official who was briefed on the investigation and not authorized to discuss it told The Associated Press it was Taylor Farms of Salinas, California."

So not taco bell. The supplier.

[u/angiosperms- → u/D-ouble-D-utch]

The problem is that the FDA notice only tells people to stop eating at taco Bell and doesn't say fuckall about anywhere else that probably received the same lettuce. We KNOW people who never ate at Taco Bell got infected but the FDA is incompetent. Not a coincidence grocery stores are discounting Taylor farms salad kits right now to get their $$$ while the FDA delays the recall.

https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investigation-5-state-outbreak-cyclospora-illnesses-iceberg-lettuce-july-2026

[u/scullys_alien_baby → u/angiosperms-]

it's not incompetence if it's on purpose

[u/MyBrainReallyHurts → u/angiosperms-]

This administration protects corporations more than any other as long as they agree to the corruption.

Taylor Farms probably made a donation to Trump and Taco Bell didn't.

[u/wyvernx02 → u/MyBrainReallyHurts]

Taylor Farms does have a history of donating to Republicans, so they probably did donate to Trump.

[u/g-darling- → u/D-ouble-D-utch]

Yeah seriously trying to paint the fast food place as the demon because its easier than placing blame where it belongs.

[u/bobthegoatskull → u/D-ouble-D-utch]

Taylor Farms paid the bigger bribe campaign fund.

[u/Rrrrandle → u/bobthegoatskull]

They donated $1,000,000 to Trump's inauguration fund.

I found that in seconds. I'm sure they've funneled millions more to Trump and the GOP.

[u/Paul_Smith_Hi]

Taco Bell out here catching strays for Taylor Farms.

[u/-You-know-it- → u/Paul_Smith_Hi]

It’s kinda dangerous to just name Taco Bell because Taylor farms is the main supplier of lettuce throughout the country. So everyone is going to scan articles and be like “oh it’s not Taco Bell lettuce so I’m good”

When in reality, Taco Bell was the first one to notice a pattern and do the honest thing. Since the government is incompetent and can’t figure anything out.

TLDR: ITS THE FUCKING LETTUCE SUPPLIER. DONT EAT ANY LETTUCE FROM TAYLOR FARMS.

[u/DemIce → u/-You-know-it-]

It's incredibly dangerous not just because of what you said, but because of the knock-on effect that in the future, businesses will be more hesitant to recall / take things off the shelves/menus unless and until they are ordered to do so; why take the heat and make it all about you (in the media and otherwise) when it's a supplier that also provides to the majority of your competitors who are more than happy for you to take the fall?

[u/-You-know-it- → u/DemIce]

Exactly. The title of this article should be The CDC can’t do their job, so Taco Bell did it for them and found the outbreak in Taylor Farm’s lettuce

Thank you Taco Bell 🛎️

[u/DrewbieWanKenobie → u/-You-know-it-]

Since the government is incompetent and can’t figure anything out.

The goverment would have us believe that RFK deciding to cut CDC systems tracking cyclosporiasis a year ago TOTALLY had no affect on causing this. Promise guys.

Also their cutting of systems preventing screwworm spreading totally had nothing to do with the outbreak of screwworms. Pinkie swear!

[u/watering_a_plant → u/Paul_Smith_Hi]

right?? every single news outlet name dropping taco bell, when they need to be calling out taylor farms. taylor farms is the issue, taco bell is not. this lettuce went to more places than just taco bells in a few states. this is annoying me more than it should. do human editors still write headlines? make it stopppp.

edit to add: [u/APnews](u/APnews) ... thoughts on this?? i thought you guys were above clickbait. i didn't realize this was an AP article until just now. fire your editors. hire someone who won't just stoke the fire. this is idiotic.

[u/EricSanderson → u/watering_a_plant]

The federal warnings to consumers did not identify the company, but a federal official who was briefed on the investigation and not authorized to discuss it told The Associated Press it was Taylor Farms of Salinas, California.

To be fair, it looks like the AP is the only reason we know it's Taylor Farms in the first place. Obviously Taco Bell gets clicks, but it also looks like the government is the one throwing Taco Bell's name out there while hiding the name of the supplier.

The real question is why is the government seemingly protecting Taylor Farms when they're the source of a massive outbreak.

Maybe /u/APnews should look into that.

Edit: at a glance it looks like Taylor Farms is a huge contributor to Republican candidates in Texas and Pennsylvania, along with scattered donations across other states.

[u/Soberdonkey69 → u/EricSanderson]

If that’s the case, then let’s make it more clickbaity and say that republicans are giving people diarrhea

[u/Sonamdrukpa → u/Soberdonkey69]

Not that I want to give the Leopards Eating Faces party any credit, but this time it was the Worms Eating Brains party.

[u/no_one_likes_u → u/watering_a_plant]

Taylor Farms just had the ecoli outbreak in 2024 too. 

We stopped buying their salad kits then.  Taco Bell really getting screwed with this reporting.  Taylor farms also supplies other restaurants, I’m surprised Taco Bell is the only one that has this contaminated lettuce. 

[u/GMGarry_Chess → u/watering_a_plant]

"Taco Bell causes illness" gets clicks. No one knows about Taylor Farms

[u/BoleroMuyPicante → u/GMGarry_Chess]

I'm sure TF prefers it that way, since they've been behind several food borne illness outbreaks in recent years. Two years ago their onions were giving people e coli.

[u/EatAtGrizzlebees → u/GMGarry_Chess]

I mean, where I live, a good amount of the lettuces and salad kits at the grocery stores are Taylor Farms. It's not like they're some no-name company behind the scenes.

[u/thefoodiedentist → u/EatAtGrizzlebees]

I just checked and i have their green beans that ive been eating raw. Incubation period seems 1 wk. Next week could be bad...

[u/United-Amoeba-8460 → u/thefoodiedentist]

Good luck. I tossed a couple of TF salad kits

[u/errorblankfield → u/United-Amoeba-8460]

Check out this guy, tossing salads

[u/poopyheadthrowaway → u/errorblankfield]

Next thing you know, scrambled eggs

[u/boston_homo → u/United-Amoeba-8460]

I've eaten multiple Taylor Farms salad kits from Costco recently; if only the AP, a normally trusted news source, had accurately reported, the news.

[u/watering_a_plant → u/GMGarry_Chess]

i'm aware, i'm saying that is fucking stupid and needs to stop

[u/Bladelink → u/watering_a_plant]

Yeah, the rationale of "it's technically not libel and is more sensationalist" is such a bullshit justification.

[u/lordaddament → u/Bladelink]

Really shows you how low of standards for reporting we have now

[u/peon2 → u/GMGarry_Chess]

Same reason why it was always Johnson&Johnson talcum powder causes cervix cancer. It's never "Imerys talc (which supplies talc to other companies besides just J&J) causes cervix cancer".

The bigger, more public, name gets the blame.

[u/aideya → u/peon2]

Thus isn’t a fair comparison. J&J get rightfully thrown under the bus because we found out they knew about the dangers of talc and kept making their products anyway.

Taco Bell kinda did the opposite.

[u/buttpotatoo → u/GMGarry_Chess]

"Major Fast Food supplier causing parasite" would be a perfectly eye catching, factual headline but seo is probably better for Taco Bell sick

[u/Amicus-Regis → u/GMGarry_Chess]

Maybe more people would know what Taylor Farms is if more news outlets put them in headlines???

[u/Worshipthedirt → u/watering_a_plant]

Maybe Taylor Farms should provide bathrooms for it’s employees. You know, humane conditions. We all have soup ass because the workers have to squat in the field.

[u/DisastrousNotice9260 → u/Worshipthedirt]

I feel like the fact the lettuce came in contact with human waste is an underreported part of this.

[u/silentbargain → u/DisastrousNotice9260]

It absolutely is. Trump is allowing farms to fertilize their fields with sewage sludge. It is causing this outbreak and being disguised as an immigration issue to fox “news” watchers

[u/Politicsboringagain → u/watering_a_plant]

How much you wanna bee Taylor Farms donates a lot if money to Republicans? 

[u/unbelizeable1 → u/watering_a_plant]

Whats worse is Taco Bell even tried being preemptive here by pulling lettuce from their menu and they're still the only ones catching flak.

[u/MmmmCrispyBacon → u/Paul_Smith_Hi]

Seems like Taylor Farms finds themselves in this situation quite often and should probably be heavily investigated at this point.

[u/theollurian → u/MmmmCrispyBacon]

The "Our Commitment" page on their website sure is something to read right now. These two parts especially:

Advanced Verification: We have a robust routine pathogen testing program for our products based on USDA standards.

Continuous Monitoring: Our team utilizes AI and inline environmental monitoring verification to keep a constant eye on our processes. This technology helps us identify and address potential issues before they become problems.

Yeah that's all working great. Unfortunately the USDA is not much help currently.

[u/-You-know-it- → u/theollurian]

DOGE also defunded the division that investigates this specific pathogen. Elon needed more money for his reckless space company so that humans on Earth can shit themselves to death.

[u/theollurian → u/-You-know-it-]

Yep! It was certainly a matter of "when", and not "if", all for the worlds first trillionaire. What a man of the people.

[u/007meow → u/theollurian]

Ah yes. The obligatory "AI" mention.

[u/GeoisGeo → u/MmmmCrispyBacon]

Uh, wrong administration for that.

[u/MmmmCrispyBacon → u/GeoisGeo]

Oh absolutely. If anything, I expect RFK will start touting them as having the healthiest produce in the world and that this explosive diarrhea bacteria is actually good for you somehow.

[u/Artarek → u/MmmmCrispyBacon]

You mean Taco Bell's revolutionary weight loss lettuce?

[u/WilliamsTell → u/Artarek]

O-shit-pic

[u/RollTh3Maps → u/GeoisGeo]

"We'd like to, but they gave the president the inaugural Iceberg Lettuce Peace Prize, so our hands are tied."

[u/tracysmullet → u/Paul_Smith_Hi]

Literally why are they name dropping Taco Bell like they’re the Big Bad™️ in this outbreak when they should be blaming Taylor Farms. Not to mention Taco Bell immediately took out fresh produce from their menus as a precaution.

[u/MrPuddington2 → u/tracysmullet]

They want to prevent Taco Bell from winning the franchise wars.

[u/monogramchecklist → u/Paul_Smith_Hi]

Why is it frequently Taylor Farms?

[u/No_Beginning_6834 → u/monogramchecklist]

They are the largest producers of fresh cut veggies. So big outbreaks will almost always be them because they are huge.

[u/Iveray → u/monogramchecklist]

They probably spend a bunch of money on lobbying to get their issues swept under the rug.

[u/AdeptFelix → u/Paul_Smith_Hi]

I feel like there was a way to title this accurately and still get the Taco Bell clickbait.

"Taco Bell Supplier Taylor Farms Confirmed As Source of Diarrhea-Causing Parasite"

I expect an editor credit.

[u/United-Amoeba-8460 → u/Paul_Smith_Hi]

MAHA Blast

[u/Hrekires]

Taco Bell's gonna take the hit here for being the first ones to be honest, but their supplier deals with a whole bunch of other companies too

[u/NoSalmonSaidit4Times → u/Hrekires]

I will be reducing my Taco Bell intake 0%. Idgaf and now I know if something is wrong they’ll take the steps to correct it, not hide it. We could all be a little more Taco Bell in life couldn’t we?

[u/xeromage → u/NoSalmonSaidit4Times]

más integridad

[u/iRoommate → u/NoSalmonSaidit4Times]

I'm going to Taco Bell right after work today, it's been too long! Down with the mainstream media! Cheesy gordita crunch here I come!

[u/Orange_Tang → u/Hrekires]

I'm like 99% sure I got this from a Taylor farms bagged salad mix from my local Kroger in Colorado. I recovered before this became a widespread story and I didn't get tested because when I went to the urgent care they said the test is like $1000 if your insurance doesn't cover it. I recovered after like 4 weeks and am fine now, but it was bad for a while and I had at least one relapse after a first recovery which apparently is pretty typical. I wash all my bagged salad mix too, I don't trust prewashed lettuce. I did eat at taco bell but the time line didn't line up with my sickness. I refuse to blame taco bell for this. They were the one company who stepped forward and voluntarily stopped using the contaminated product. It pisses me off that every story seems to be laying this on taco bell when I honestly don't think they could have handled it any better.

[u/gmishaolem → u/Hrekires]

This is just the "Spanish flu" all over again. Spain was just the first one to not lie about it and cover it up, so everyone was like "oh, so it came from Spain then".

[u/FusRoDahMa]

Taylor Farms.

Not everyone that's gotten sick has eaten at frigging Taco Bell. The way the news is covering this is dumb.

[u/paone00022 → u/FusRoDahMa]

Especially because Taco Bell was the first chain to identify the problem and remove this lettuce from their products. It's like they are being punished for being quick on their feet and doing the right thing.

[u/Ole_St_John → u/paone00022]

Kind of like the flu from 1919 was named the Spanish flu because Spain was the first to accurately report on it.

[u/legandaryhon → u/Ole_St_John]

That was my immediate thought as well. First to step up and identify a problem, first to be blamed for the problem.

[u/ProfMcGonaGirl → u/paone00022]

No good dead goes unpunished.

[u/missvandy → u/paone00022]

Makes me think of the time target was the first to acknowledge a widespread data leak and completely ate shit for it while other retailers hid the problem and never faced any backlash.

This era is teaching businesses that it’s better to be shady.

[u/bonesandstones99 → u/FusRoDahMa]

Yeah. This is insane to me. My daughter got this two weeks ago and we never ate at Taco Bell. It’s the farm and it’s wild they are blaming one restaurant.

[u/captcha_trampstamp → u/FusRoDahMa]

I know people who got it from eating strawberries they bought at the store too.

[u/Steez_And_Rice → u/captcha_trampstamp]

Do they know specifically from strawberries? I’ve only seen confirmation from greens linked to Taylor Farms. This parasite can show symptoms after a week or two so they may have eaten something else earlier

[u/Wizmaxman → u/Steez_And_Rice]

Guessing most people are getting the shits and are now saying they got this parasite without any proof beyond that.

Like how everyone who got sick months before covid was a thing totally believing they actually had covid

[u/AudibleNod]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Thursday warned consumers not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. A record number of cyclospora cases have been reported in more than 30 states, and experts have said not every recent U.S. illness might be caused by a single source.

Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia

It looks likely that it comes from Taylor Farms out of Salinas, CA per unconfirmed reports.

[u/Rooooben → u/AudibleNod]

Oooh I see their bagged stuff at the grocery all the time…

[u/Disgruntled_Smitty → u/Rooooben]

Bags of shit, avoid!

[u/LunarAssultVehicle → u/Disgruntled_Smitty]

You mean low cost diet aid?

[u/ennuiui → u/Rooooben]

They also supply greens for supermarket brands. I found out that the “Simple Truth” mixed greens I buy from Mariano’s (a Kroger brand) are supplied by Taylor Farms. There’s no iceberg lettuce in my mix, so hoping I’m okay?

[u/Drumphelstiltsken → u/AudibleNod]

Is the farm in California?

PBS News is saying the infected lettuce came from a farm in Mexico

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/lettuce-at-taco-bell-in-5-states-confirmed-as-a-source-of-diarrhea-causing-parasite

[u/Sky-high27 → u/Drumphelstiltsken]

The product itself is coming out of Mexico, specifically harvested for bulk distribution. It’s not the same product used in salad kits.

[u/LifeOnEnceladus → u/AudibleNod]

Just ate a Taylor farms salad last night in Washington state. Chat what do I do

[u/ArchdukeToes → u/LifeOnEnceladus]

From the sounds of it, SOP is now to shit yourself inside out.

[u/shwarma_heaven → u/ArchdukeToes]

Invest in a decent bidet, otherwise that asshole is gonna be so chapped, not even Chapstick will fix it.

[u/What_Up_Doe_ → u/shwarma_heaven]

“And this one goes in your butt”

[u/T8ortots → u/What_Up_Doe_]

no wait, this one goes in your butt, that one goes in you mouth

[u/betterplanwithchan → u/LifeOnEnceladus]

Hydrate and keep your phone charged

[u/inosinateVR → u/LifeOnEnceladus]

Get ahead of it. Take a bunch of laxatives now and tell your body you’re doing this on YOUR terms. Did you ever even get food poisoning? Who can say, because you decided to explode your toilet today, and nobody else can take that away from you

[u/Bladelink → u/inosinateVR]

Take back the power

[u/betterplanwithchan → u/inosinateVR]

I don’t know if a double dook strategy is worth it

[u/dfafa → u/LifeOnEnceladus]

RIP your asshole

[u/Sklanskers → u/dfafa]

No need. The cyclospora will do that for him.

[u/galspanic → u/LifeOnEnceladus]

You can probably just enjoy digesting it. For whatever reason the PAC NW hasn’t been as hit by this as other regions. It’s a numbers game though.

[u/raistan77 → u/LifeOnEnceladus]

takes about a week to hit so keep that in mind

[u/BigGayGinger4 → u/AudibleNod]

Dang I live an hour from the borders of OH and WV, and I ate taco bell multiple times during the the last few months... but PA isn't on this list

Safe by the random luck of distribution networks. guess I should avoid the casino this weekend, I already burned my good luck

[u/Subarctic_Monkey → u/BigGayGinger4]

Just avoid lettuce. Stick to the deep fried shit. It'll fuck up your arteries but you won't become a poo fountain.

[u/-You-know-it-]

I can’t believe I’m defending Taco Bell here, but no it wasn’t. It was a LETTUCE SUPPLIER that supplied more than just Taco Bell.

They were just the first ones to speak out about it. Thank God, because the incompetent government wasn’t figuring it out.

[u/Missing_Crouton → u/-You-know-it-]

It's like the Spanish Flu, or more accurately the Kansas Flu. Taco Bell proactively trying to prevent the squirts, and they are catching the blow-back. I stand with the Bell!

[u/epidemicsaints]

The federal warnings to consumers did not identify the company, but a federal official who was briefed on the investigation and not authorized to discuss it told The Associated Press it was Taylor Farms of Salinas, California.

Same company as the sliced onions e. coli outbreak with McDonald's two years ago.

[u/b0w3n → u/epidemicsaints]

I assume they're using some level of municipal sewage recycling that tries to play itself off as fertilizer and/or their workers are all just shitting in their fields.

My money's on the former and whoever they're getting those fucking biosolids from isn't letting it uh... marinate enough to kill pathogens. There's also the risk of pfas and toxins in this shit but if I were a betting man it's on the municipal sewage fertilizer pipeline cutting massive corners being the major cause of this.

[u/epidemicsaints → u/b0w3n]

It has to be something systemic with irrigation... the parasite releases (more or less) spores that have to build up and mature for weeks in the environment before they are infectious. This sounds like regular irrigation to me, not some dookie plops from harvesters the days they're working.

[u/b0w3n → u/epidemicsaints]

Ahh yeah I could see irrigation too.

The dookie plops were the original theory I think, but honestly to get to this scale of bad they'd have to be dropping trou on every square foot of thier fields.

Poorly maintained infra like irrigation makes sense. I still like my municipal sewage fertilizer theory because it's the right amount of lazy capitalist corner cutting I could see from these shitheads too.

[u/epidemicsaints → u/b0w3n]

I am totally with you on the sewage, by irrigation I simply mean the water they're using is rank period. This parasite has to come from human sources, and I don't see how a farm would be close to municipal sewage incidentally.

[u/camlloc255]

Important to note it's ONE source but likely not the only source. There are a lot of people sick who did not eat at Taco Bell and the same supplier sends the same shredded lettuce to other restaurants. Sounds like they are still tracking it down but I'm glad to see them finally figuring this out! Taylor Farms should be the one taking the heat. Taco Bell at least figured it out earlier and was getting rid of their lettuce out of precaution.

[u/tellmewhenimlying → u/camlloc255]

There are also plenty of people with confirmed cases who have said that they don't or hadn't eaten any lettuce in the time frame necessary to get ill but that they instead did eat other likely carriers like berries or other fruits or raw vegetables, so it seems unlikely that an outbreak this widespread was caused by one type of product or even one specific supplier.

[u/camlloc255 → u/tellmewhenimlying]

Yes another good point the article didn't mention. I'll stay away from bagged lettuce and whatever else is a usual suspect until they find out more!

[u/cambreecanon → u/tellmewhenimlying]

It also could be from cross contamination. Handling Lettuce then handle something else would explain that.

[u/PoloTshNsShldBlstOff]

Using Taco bell as the scapegoat.

This is some bullshit.

Blame the supplier

[u/likeeggs]

I genuinely think they are spinning this as “it’s Taco Bell food” because the admin is mad that Taco Bell had better data and took steps first and on their own without the CDC/DOH doing something first.

[u/ClaudeGascoigne → u/likeeggs]

It definitely feels like the government is deliberately targeting Taco Bells while shielding Taylor Farms.

[u/Horror-Giraffe7508 → u/ClaudeGascoigne]

Taco Bell can’t be the only one getting lettuce from ( rebranded or direct) Taylor farms.

[u/ClaudeGascoigne → u/Horror-Giraffe7508]

They definitely aren't. Taylor Farms supplies something like a dozen restaurant chains and ten grocery store chains. They also show up in pretty much every restaurant unless they only buy local. Oh, and they also provide several schools with fresh lettuce and vegetables.

I've, sadly, not eaten a salad or raw vegetable for over two weeks now.

[u/Horror-Giraffe7508 → u/likeeggs]

I’d like to hear more discussion on this. Absolutely agree.

[u/ForcedEntry420]

Oh word I didn’t realize The Bell was growing lettuce and packaging it behind the restaurant. Who knew they were farm to table?

[u/ericlikesyou]

btch please, it's not Taco Bell's fault, it's because of doge defunding agencies who were tracking this specific strain of parasite

https://www.wired.com/story/cdc-cyclospora-lab-doge-downsized-it-last-year/

[u/Purpleberry74]

I feel like Taco Bell is Janet Jackson and Taylor farms Justin Timberlake right now.

[u/Soggy_Cracker]

The news posting the end user of the product instead of the supplier of it is diabolical. I would bet that Taco Bell has a proper suite against the CDC for monetary damages due to the announcement while trying to hide the name of the actual supplier of the food making people sick.

This feels like “Hot Coffee” reporting all over again instead of actually talking about the real issue at hand.

[u/-You-know-it- → u/Soggy_Cracker]

I agree. And they supplied more than just Taco Bell.

[u/Bladelink → u/Soggy_Cracker]

Yeah this seems like open-and-shut libel to me, right? Taco Bell is not the "source" per the definition of the word, but is getting called out by name, but then when Taylor Farms is implicated, it's suddenly "a single supplier". Seems like a powerful corporation is just putting pressure on news and/or CDC folks to offload or distribute the blame, when Taco Bell has done nothing wrong except do business with Taylor Farms.

[u/Broke_Banker01]

Misleading title.

It was the source for a REGIONAL outbreak, not the entire outbreak.

[u/twenty-onesavage → u/Broke_Banker01]

Sorry if this is a stupid question but for the rest of the nationwide outbreak, is it likely to be linked to Taylor farms as well?

I know they haven’t officially determined it yet

[u/diescheide → u/twenty-onesavage]

They've been responsible for cyclospora before. And e. coli. I wouldn't doubt they're the source of the entire outbreak.

[u/yhwhx → u/Broke_Banker01]

And Taylor Farms should be the party blamed for this outbreak.

[u/freedfg]

Is it just me or is tacobell being used as a scapegoat here?

There's something to me that feels like "lol taco bell diarrhea" is being used to deflect from an actual infestation from a source. Like...it's not like Taco Bell is adding parasites to their lettuce.

Checks Taylor Farms PAC donations from 2024...ah yeah checks out.

[u/thenorussian → u/freedfg]

it’s absolutely being scapegoated, by doing the right thing for the public, they painted a target on their back

[u/euclid0472]

Taylor Farms never learns or they haven't faced harsh enough punishment.

• 2013
• 2024

• 2026

[u/areraswen]

So can we stop just like.... Blanketly blaming taco bell? It's one of their fucking suppliers and it went to restaurants other than taco bell too. Why is everyone so obsessed with taco bell?

[u/MajorFuckingDick → u/areraswen]

Taco Bell whistleblew so now its Taco Bell Flu.

[u/chef-nom-nom]

A Food and Drug Administration investigation identified a single supplier of the lettuce. The federal warnings to consumers did not identify the company, but a federal official who was briefed on the investigation and not authorized to discuss it told The Associated Press it was Taylor Farms of Salinas, California.

Why the fuck would they not publicly identify the supplier?

[u/beastwood9498 → u/chef-nom-nom]

Because the owner is probably MAGA

[u/December_Flame → u/beastwood9498]

It is.

[u/Totheendofsin]

Does Taco Bell grow its own lettuce?

Taco Bell's supplier Taylor Farms is clearly the source, this headline is terrible

[u/MazW]

Why are they blaming Taco Bell when it responsibly pulled its lettuce before RFK's people figured ANYTHING out? The culprit is Taylor Farms/Earthbound and they stock groceries also.

[u/Big-Significance3409]

The news is such garbage. Taylor farms is the suspect

[u/Porkcicle]

I'm no Taco Bell simp, but this feels like a targeted hit on them. Taylor Farms supplies that lettuce to dozens of other identically successful chains that we aren't hearing a peep about.

[u/wetbudha]

Sysco distributes Taylor Farms, and distributes it under “Earthbound Organics” name as well.

[u/Necessary-Dark-4591]

I don't eat at Taco Bell. I am in Florida. I got it from lettuce in a small local restaurant. I am on week 2. This is a very misleading article.

[u/YawnSpawner → u/Necessary-Dark-4591]

Taylor farms is the largest producer of salad in the country, chances are any salad anywhere right now comes from them.

[u/Foxhack]

Funny how this title seems to point the blame at Taco Bell when the distributor, Taylor Farms of Salinas, California, is the source of the tainted produce. The same Taylor Farms that has had several outbreaks in the past. And the company is also a Republican donor.

And I hate this because they make the brand of bagged salads I like to buy once in a while. I ain't touching their shit again.

I don't like Taco Bell but they really shouldn't be blamed for something that was caused by another company.

[u/ozairh18]

I don’t understand why Taco Bell has become associated with the outbreak when they were one of the first fast food chains to stop selling lettuce. It originated from Taylor Farms

[u/Spooky5588]

So can someone explain to me why Taylor Farms doesn’t get shutdown? They were responsible for the onion thing too at McDonalds. Like is there no legal action taken?

[u/theyipper → u/Spooky5588]

Follow the money.

[u/nicane]

Lettuce from Taylor Farms, which supplies tons of places. Taco Bell happens to be one of them.

Fucking headlines. Fucking stupid people

[u/Comandatuba]

I just checked the official Taylor Farms recall page. Why the fuck have they not issued a recall? We got Costco salad kits in the fridge we bought yesterday morning. I just checked the Costco recall page and nothing there either.

https://www.taylorfarms.com/recall/

[u/Altruistic-Lime-9564]

So glad a lot of people are seeing though the smoke.   Why is Taylor Farms being protected?

[u/RedofPaw]

RFK Jr gonna be making it law to eat that