Sysco, the largest food distributor in the United States, has ceased purchases of iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms and Mexico due to a Cyclospora outbreak, CEO Kevin Hourican announced on Tuesday, according to Reuters.
An investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) linked the Cyclospora outbreak to iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants, sourced from Taylor Farms’ private farms in central Mexico. However, U.S. authorities are still searching for other potential sources of the outbreak.
“We are not buying iceberg lettuce from them or from Mexico anymore,” Hourican stated in an interview. “As much as we can diversify our supply, that is something we are actively working on,” he added.
In mid-July, Sysco suspended sales and distribution of iceberg lettuce produced by Taylor Farms from Mexico. At that time, Sysco executed a voluntary market withdrawal, and later Taylor Farms informed the distributor about the official recall, Hourican said.
Last week, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb indicated that some major retailers and restaurants were avoiding products from other producers in central Mexico due to fears of a broader contamination of farms in the region.
“We have changed the country and area of origin, and we are clearly communicating with our customers regarding the current situation,” Hourican said.
Authorities confirmed that two individuals have died in Michigan in relation to the Cyclospora outbreak, marking the first deaths associated with this nationwide epidemic.
In recent weeks, there has been a sharp increase in Cyclospora cases across the United States. According to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been 6,707 confirmed cases of Cyclospora reported from early May to the end of July, with 423 people hospitalized.
Cases of Cyclospora have been reported in nearly every U.S. state, with authorities suspecting iceberg lettuce as the culprit. The cause of the outbreak remains unclear.
The FDA has linked the surge in infections to pre-cut iceberg lettuce from a supplier in Mexico, although laboratory tests have not confirmed this theory. A sample from Taylor Farms in Mexico yielded a false positive for the Cyclospora parasite, leading the FDA to issue an apology.
Nevertheless, subsequent FDA investigations continued to indicate pre-packaged iceberg lettuce as the source of the outbreak, the agency reported in mid-July, stating that it would continue its investigations and ensure that affected products were removed from stores, according to news agencies DPA and Agerpres.
The Cyclospora parasite is not typically transmitted from person to person but through food and water contaminated with feces, according to the CDC. The parasite infects the small intestine and causes watery diarrhea, sometimes severe (“explosive diarrhea”). Cyclospora outbreaks mainly occur during the summer months.
