Taylor Farms is removing iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico following a Food and Drug Administration investigation that linked some of its shredded lettuce to a cyclospora outbreak. The outbreak is tied to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Mic higan, Ohio and West Virginia. Taco Bell released a statement on Saturday saying it would remove all affected Taylor Farms lettuce from its products after some customers reported feeling ill. Cyclospora is a parasite that can contaminate fresh produce, causing severe and prolonged diarrhea. Health officials advise anyone who develops these symptoms to contact a healthcare provider. The FDA is urging customers in the five affected states to avoid shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico. According to the agency, 1,644 people infected with Cyclospora in those states reported eating at Taco Bell. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has received reports of 1,645 confirmed domestic cases of cyclosporiasis since May 1. More than 5,100 additional reports remain under review to determine if they are domestically acquired. Taylor Farms stated that the FDA traceback points to a single independent farm, which represents less than 1% of the nation’s iceberg lettuce supply. However, as a precaution, the company announced it is indefinitely removing all iceberg lettuce from that growing region. While the outbreak impacts the Midwest, California health officials report there are no known local outbreaks and the state is not seeing a spike in cases. Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at UCSF, noted that the isolated nature of the outbreak points to regional supply chains. “The fact that we haven’t seen that happen in California while so much is happening in the Midwest suggests that our food distribution, or the lot of vegetables that was in the Midwest, was not sent to California, because you would expect a lot more people to be sick,” Chin-Hong said. Despite the lack of local cases, the FDA investigation is prompting many California shoppers to pay closer attention to where their food comes from, with some heading to local farmers markets. At the Mountain Farmers Market in Los Gatos, many shoppers said they prefer buying directly from the people who grow their produce. “I’m buying snap peas, broccoli, lettuce and melon,” Los Gatos resident Mary Curtiss said. “I love to meet the farmers, and I feel like just knowing where your food comes from is amazing. It feels really good. It’s beautiful produce.” For those still buying produce at the grocery store, Chin-Hong says there are simple ways to reduce the risk of infection. He recommends purchasing items that can be peeled, such as avocados, melons, mangos, oranges and bananas, because the inside of the fruit generally has very little contact with soil. If buying lettuce, Chin-Hong advises choosing a whole head instead of bagged greens whenever possible and removing the outer leaves before eating. ...read more read less