By Jamie Gumbrecht, CNN
(CNN) — Produce supplier Taylor Farms is recalling iceberg lettuce shipped to 27 US states because of potential contamination with cyclospora, the parasite causing thousands of cases of diarrhea across the country.
The company said it’s “actively removing” the products, has suspended distribution of iceberg lettuce from Central Mexico to the United States and is no longer receiving products from the implicated lot.
“Consumers who have purchased the recalled iceberg lettuce should discard it immediately and not consume it,” the company said.
Taylor Farms said the shredded iceberg lettuce product was distributed June 29 through July 16 in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.
The recall notice includes brand abbreviations and some product descriptions, including use-by dates, but does not mention specific retailers or product names. The company has said that no Taylor Farms-branded salads or kits are associated with the outbreak and no Taylor Farms-branded salad kits contain iceberg lettuce.
“At this time, Taylor Fresh Foods has not publicly provided distribution information or a list of customers who received the product that was voluntarily removed from the market,” the US Food and Drug Administration said in an update Friday.
Federal health officials have linked a large cyclospora outbreak in the Midwest to shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms and served at some Taco Bell restaurants in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia and Kentucky. Taco Bell said Friday that it has removed the lettuce from its restaurants and its nationwide supply chain.
The FDA said more states may be added to the list as more information comes available.
Restaurant food distributor Sysco also said it is withdrawing all Taylor Farms-processed iceberg lettuce and stopped the sale and distribution of those products on Thursday.
People with cyclosporiasis may have symptoms that include watery diarrhea, cramping and bloating for weeks, which can lead to dehydration. Cases of the intestinal illness caused by a microscopic parasite are surging across the US, with nearly 7,000 confirmed or under investigation in 34 states since May 1, according to data published this week by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Federal health officials said there are multiple investigations underway — some tied to the large outbreak in the Midwest, some involving single states and some involving cases not yet tied to any cluster.
So far, the outbreak linked to the lettuce is considered to be a regional one, centered in the Midwest. The Michigan state health department has reported more than 5,000 cases of cyclosporiasis during the outbreak investigation. The state health department said that it “cannot say with certainty that every illness is linked to the same source of exposure” but that the concentrated, sharp increase in cases “strongly suggests that the vast majority of these illnesses are associated with the same outbreak.” This would make it the largest cyclospora outbreak in the US on record.
Taylor Farms produce has also been linked with previous ill