FDA Report Reveals Where Contaminated Taylor Farms Lettuce Was Distributed

Although shredded iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell restaurants has been a prime suspect in an explosive outbreak of the diarrheal parasite Cyclospora, a new report from the Food and Drug Administration finally reveals where all the contaminated lettuce was sold—and only a sliver of it went to Taco Bell locations.

The feces-tainted lettuce was sourced from Mexico and sold by Taylor Farms, a mammoth produce provider based in California. Taylor Farms has drawn scrutiny for its ties to the Trump administration and reluctance to provide information amid the outbreak, which has now sickened over 23,000 people across 47 states, killing two and sending over 500 others to the hospital. Taylor Farms reportedly attempted to delay issuing a recall amid the illnesses and, since then, has refused to clearly report how much tainted lettuce it recalled and where all of it had been shipped.

The FDA’s Enforcement Report finally provides some answers: Taylor Farms recalled 236,192 cases of lettuce due to potential Cyclospora contamination. Of those, only 5,900—just shy of 2.5 percent—were sold to Yum, the parent company of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC. The other 97.5 percent of the lettuce that potentially sickened Americans was distributed elsewhere.

Walmart—under its brand Marketside—received the lion’s share, 109,476 cases, a little over 46 percent. The second-largest lot went to Taylor Farms’ own brand, which received 68,897 cases, a little over 29 percent.

The remaining 25 percent went to various food service entities and two restaurants. Cross Valley Farms, a brand from US Foods with the tagline “Fresh Produce Sourced and Selected With Strict Standards,” received 19,016 cases (8 percent). Sysco received 11,519 cases (4.9 percent), Markon got 7,459 cases (3.15 percent), and Peak Fresh Produce (Performance Foodservice) got 720 cases (0.3 percent).

The restaurant chains besides Taco Bell were Subway, which received 8,075 cases (3.4 percent), and Jack in the Box, which received 5,130 cases (about 2.2 percent).

Information void

The information in the FDA report is significantly more detailed than what Taylor Farms provided in its recall information, which only lists abbreviations for the companies that received the recalled lettuce. For instance, one brand is identified as just “CV,” while the FDA report identifies it as Cross Valley Farms. Walmart’s Marketside brand was listed as MKTSD, while food service company Markon was listed as MARK. The notice provides no quantities.

It’s unclear why Taylor Farms did not publicly reveal that the majority of the recalled lettuce had been shipped to Walmart stores while Americans were focusing on Taco Bell locations. Ars Technica reached Taylor Farms for comment about the lack of information, but the company did not respond to questions and instead sent links to its recall notice and the FDA’s outbreak investigation webpage.

It also remains unclear where the food service companies that received the lettuces ultimately sent them and if they were sent to more states than the 27 Taylor Farms reported in its recall. For instance, New York and California have reported cyclosporiasis cases, but those states are not included in the recall notice.

The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention based warnings about Taco Bell lettuce on epidemiological investigations. With widespread distribution of the lettuce, investigators were able to detect a clear signal from Taco Bell. On July 17, the CDC told Americans in no uncertain terms, “Do not eat shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.” The FDA, meanwhile, noted that Walmart’s Marketside brand was part of the recall, but it did not indicate that it constituted the bulk of the recall.

The FDA report was first identified by independent food-safety reporter Phyllis Entis.