Sample of iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms tested positive for US parasite outbreak
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Taylor Farms, the California-based lettuce supplier, has confirmed that the sampled product is not part of its current recall.
PHOTO: AFP
- A sample of shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms tested positive for a parasite linked to a large US outbreak.
- Taylor Farms confirmed the positive sample is not part of its current recall and is investigating if contaminated products are still in circulation.
- The parasite outbreak has caused about 100 hospitalisations in several states with no reported deaths, linked to lettuce at Taco Bell restaurants.
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WASHINGTON – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on July 18 a sample of shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms has tested positive for a parasitic illness that has made thousands of people in the US sick.
Taylor Farms has confirmed that this product is not part of its current recall, the FDA said in the statement as it seeks to curtail the largest foodborne illness outbreak in the US in recent years.
The California-based lettuce supplier is working to identify whether any part of the sample that tested positive is available in commerce or in consumers’ homes, the FDA said.
The supplier has posted a list of lettuce products that had been recalled following investigations that it was a potential source of contamination.
Taylor Farms was not immediately available for comment.
The FDA said the sample was collected during targeted surveillance while investigating the ongoing outbreak and that the “positive” lot has been detained.
Cyclosporiasis, which has been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Yum Brands Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, has so far resulted in around 100 hospitalisations and no deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. REUTERS