In the long and uneasy relationship between industrial food systems and public health, a Cyclospora outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants has sickened 1,644 people across five Midwestern and Appalachian states, sending 94 to hospitals. Federal investigators traced the contaminated lettuce to Taylor Farms, a Salinas-based produce giant whose supply chains stretch across continents, with the affected crop grown in Mexico. The outbreak invites a familiar reckoning: the same efficiencies that feed millions can, when a single link fails, carry harm just as swif
Salinas produce giant Taylor Farms linked to multistate Cyclospora outbreak
1,644 people sickened across five states with 94 hospitalizations; symptoms include severe diarrhea, cramping, and potential complications lasting over a month if untreated.