Taylor Farms CEO breaks silence over explosive diarrhea outbreak as class-action lawsuit filed - New York Post

What the report says

The New York Post reports that Taylor Farms CEO Bruce Taylor has publicly addressed a multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak after the Salinas, California-based produce company and Taco Bell were named in a proposed class-action lawsuit. The outbreak is under investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, and the FDA has linked the illnesses to shredded iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico and recalled by Taylor Farms de Mexico.

According to the Post, citing FDA information, investigators traced cases to a single supplier of shredded iceberg lettuce used at Taco Bell locations where some sick customers had eaten. The FDA later said one lettuce sample initially treated as positive was a false positive, but said that did not change the direction of its investigation, which continued to point to Taylor Farms lettuce from central Mexico. Taco Bell removed the affected lettuce from restaurants, while Taylor Farms issued a broad voluntary recall.

Taylor Farms said it pulled potentially implicated products, expanded its recall to all iceberg lettuce from the region, suspended central Mexico iceberg lettuce sourcing and production, and temporarily halted production of all products at the facility as of July 18. The company also said it hired outside experts to review food-safety procedures. The Post reported that Taylor expressed frustration about being left out of the investigation process and warned that public fear could discourage people from eating fresh foods.

The lawsuit, filed July 23 by two plaintiffs, alleges Taylor Farms and Taco Bell sold food that was unfit for sale after being connected to the outbreak. Those claims have not been resolved in court. Cyclosporiasis is caused by the Cyclospora parasite and is commonly associated with contaminated fresh produce.