US health officials have traced a growing outbreak of the parasite cyclospora to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the link on Thursday, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identified a single Mexican supplier, though it was not named publicly. Taco Bell said it would stop using lettuce from the implicated supplier, while California-based Taylor Farms is reportedly preparing a recall of related ingredients.

More than 30 states have reported cyclospora infections this year, with case numbers now exceeding the previous US record of roughly 4,700 set in 2019. Taylor Fresh Foods said none of its branded salads were linked to the outbreak but that it had withdrawn iceberg lettuce distribution from the affected region as a precaution, noting the implicated farm supplies less than 1% of the US iceberg lettuce market. Cyclospora causes severe, sometimes "explosive" watery diarrhoea, fatigue and nausea that can last up to a month, though the illness is rarely life-threatening and is typically treated with antibiotics; infections usually stem from produce exposed to faeces-contaminated irrigation water.