Big U.S. restaurant chains are not often linked to foodborne illness outbreaks, but the number of meals they serve causes concern when contamination sickens customers. Recently, federal health officials identified iceberg lettuce from Mexico served at Taco Bell locations in five states as a source of widespread infections from the diarrhea-causing parasite cyclospora.
Recent Outbreaks
A U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigation identified a single supplier, Taylor Farms, as the source of the suspect lettuce. Taco Bell issued a statement saying that the affected ingredient from their supplier is being indefinitely removed from their supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within 24 hours in select states.
Other recent outbreaks include an E. coli outbreak tied to McDonald’s hamburgers, which sickened at least 104 people in 14 states, and a 2022 outbreak at Wendy’s, which pulled lettuce from sandwiches in its restaurants in Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
In 2015, Chipotle was hit by an E. coli outbreak that sickened more than 50 people and temporarily shut down dozens of restaurants on the West Coast. The company later agreed to pay a record $25 million fine to resolve criminal charges that it served tainted food that sickened over 1,100 people in the U.S. between 2015 and 2018.
Regulatory Changes
A deadly outbreak in 1992 and 1993, traced to undercooked Jack in the Box restaurant hamburgers contaminated with E. coli, led to regulatory changes in the U.S. The U.S. Department of Agriculture mandated a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system, which helps identify and control hazards within the system of food production.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
