The alleged Taco Bell lettuce outbreak has been linked to 1,644 illnesses across five states, pushing the restaurant chain to remove an implicated supplier’s product from its nationwide supply chain.
The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on July 16 that shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia had been linked to a multistate Cyclospora outbreak. According to the FDA, 94 people have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported. esses began between May 13 and July 13, 2026. All 1,644 people included in the five-state investigation were infected with Cyclospora and reported exposure to Taco Bell, according to federal investigators. However, officials stressed that not every Taco Bell restaurant in the affected states received the implicated product. ators also took a closer look at what customers ordered.
Michigan officials analyzed food-exposure information from 190 patients who reported eating at Taco Bell, and 90 percent of those interviewed said they had eaten iceberg lettuce. The FDA’s traceback investigation later converged on one supplier of iceberg lettuce from Mexico used by restaurants where infected customers had eaten. l said it began working with public health officials and quickly moved to pull the potentially affected lettuce.
“Based on ongoing conversations with public health officials, and out of an abundance of caution, Taco Bell has taken immediate action to voluntarily remove potentially impacted lettuce from a supplier in select states,” the company said. “The affected ingredient from our supplier is being indefinitely removed from our supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within 24 hours in select states.”
That move does not amount to a formal product recall. The CDC’s outbreak page lists the investigation as open and states that no recall has been issued. Still, Taco Bell committed to stop using lettuce from the supplier identified through the FDA’s traceback process. any also framed its response as part of a wider food-service responsibility.
“While no official advisory has been issued, we believe public health is a shared responsibility among restaurants, their suppliers, and authorities, and we are proud to have consistently acted quickly and proactively to protect our guests,” Taco Bell said. “Taco Bell has taken precautionary action, and we encourage all relevant restaurants, retailers, and foodservice operators to do the same.”
Taco Bell made that statement before federal agencies published their July 16 consumer advisory. The CDC now tells consumers not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in the five affected states. Customers experiencing symptoms should contact a healthcare provider, especially if they ate the lettuce within the two weeks before becoming sick. e, the FDA has not publicly identified the lettuce supplier. The agency said it is working directly with the company to determine whether potentially contaminated shredded lettuce remains available elsewhere. Officials have also collected product samples for testing and increased border screening for items connected to the investigation. ra is a microscopic parasite that causes an intestinal illness known as cyclosporiasis. Symptoms commonly include watery diarrhea, appetite loss, weight loss, stomach cramps, bloating, gas, nausea and fatigue.
Symptoms usually begin about one week after infection, but the timing can range from two days to two weeks or longer. They may also disappear before returning. the warning is limited to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. Federal officials cautioned that additional restaurants, retailers, brands or distribution channels could be identified as investigators continue tracking where the lettuce was sent. numbers may also change.
The FDA noted that state totals sometimes include probable cases or reports that have not yet reached federal databases, while the numbers in its advisory are based on confirmed cases tied to the five-state investigation. vestigators complete that work, customers in the affected states are being told to skip the shredded iceberg lettuce. The menu may keep moving, but the federal warning is now officially on the table.
