The world's largest food distributor has stopped buying iceberg lettuce from Mexico and from Taylor Farms after the FDA linked the parasite outbreak to the supplier. Two people have died in Michigan.
Sysco, the largest broadline food distributor in the world, has stopped buying iceberg lettuce from Mexico entirely, and has moved its purchasing away from Taylor Farms, after federal regulators tied a widening cyclospora outbreak to the supplier's operations in central Mexico.
Chief executive Kevin Hourican told Reuters the company is not buying iceberg from Taylor Farms and not buying it from Mexico, and is actively working to diversify procurement further. Sysco had already pulled the Mexican-grown Taylor Farms iceberg in mid-July, he said — shortly before learning the supplier had issued its own recall.
Hourican was careful not to indict the supplier's standards, calling it a high-quality, high-integrity operation while acknowledging that Sysco had to act. He also flagged the practical constraint: Taylor Farms is the largest producer in the category, and replacing that volume elsewhere cannot happen overnight. Sysco is now sourcing domestically, though consumer demand for lettuce has fallen sharply.
The FDA traced the outbreak to lettuce served at Taco Bell locations. Taylor Farms issued a voluntary recall on July 18 covering iceberg lettuce sold through Walmart, telling consumers to discard the product rather than eat it. The recalled lettuce reached consumers, restaurants and retailers in at least 27 states.
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal infection that produces prolonged watery diarrhea, severe cramping, nausea, vomiting and fatigue. It is rarely fatal, but two people with significant underlying health conditions have died in Michigan, according to the state's Department of Health and Human Services. Michigan alone has logged 12,218 cases, with 193 hospitalizations as of July 30.
The FDA and CDC currently count illnesses across nine states: Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Standard public health guidance for reducing exposure is straightforward. Choose whole heads of lettuce and intact herbs over pre-cut bagged mixes, which carry higher cross-contamination risk from processing. Discard the outer two or three leaves of leafy greens. Rinse berries, cilantro and basil under running water rather than soaking them in a bowl. Scrub the rinds of melons, cucumbers and tomatoes with a produce brush before cutting. Cook vegetables where practical, since heat is the most reliable way to kill the organism. And wash cutting boards, knives and counters with hot soapy water after handling raw produce.
Anyone with symptoms should contact a doctor, particularly if they ate shredded iceberg lettuce in the two weeks before falling ill. Sysco and Taylor Farms did not respond to requests for comment.