An outbreak of the diarrhea-causing parasite cyclospora has spurred warnings from health officials to skip the shredded lettuce at Taco Bell in five states.
Georgia, meanwhile, continues to be largely spared from that great unpleasantness, and some metro Atlanta restaurants are reassuring customers about their locally sourced produce.
“I just hope this is a big learning opportunity for people buying lettuce. If you buy from farmers markets, like people who grow your food locally, it helps,” said Parnass Savang, chef at Talat Market in Summerhill.
A Georgia Department of Public Health spokesperson on Friday reported the state has only seen up to 30 cases of the illness cyclosporiasis since May 1, with the most cases coming in June.
“DPH is not aware of any Georgia-specific outbreaks, clusters, or potential links to the outbreak that has sickened thousands of people across multiple states,” the agency said in an email to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Thursday warned consumers not to eat lettuce at Taco Bells in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. A record number of cyclospora cases have been reported in more than 30 states, and experts have said not every recent U.S. illness might be caused by a single source.
A Food and Drug Administration investigation so far has identified a single supplier of the lettuce sourced from Mexico. Taylor Fresh Foods, of Salinas, California, said FDA testing indicated it was “a specific independent farm” affiliated with the company.
The FDA was working with the supplier “to determine if potentially contaminated shredded iceberg lettuce remains on the market,” including in other states, the CDC said. “Taco Bell has committed to stop using any lettuce from the supplier identified by FDA’s traceback investigation.”
On Thursday, ahead of the federal government’s confirmation, Taco Bell said it had taken “immediate action to voluntarily remove potentially impacted lettuce from a supplier in select states.”
In a statement, federal officials stressed that other “brands, restaurants, retailers, or distribution channels” could be tied to the outbreak as the investigation continues.
Michigan is reporting more than 5,000 cases, and more than 2,000 additional probable and suspected cases have been reported in other states.
Taco Bell did not respond to an inquiry from the AJC about its Georgia operations Friday, but several other Peach State food purveyors said they are monitoring the outbreak and assuring their customers.
Talat Market posted a series of glamor shots on Instagram of its bright green lettuce. The caption encouraged the hungry masses to “come enjoy our beautiful crisp lettuce” and added: “it’s organic, locally sourced and diarrhea free.”
More than 2,000 people liked the post.
Savang told the AJC they have received some emails from concerned customers, so it might be a challenge to sell salad this summer. They get their lettuce from local growers.
Aaron Russell, chef at Poor Hendrix and the sandwich shop the Little Hippo, said he also isn’t concerned about their lettuce, which is hydroponically grown by Georgia farmers he has known for decades. On top of that, they closely wash all the produce they use at both restaurants.
“We’re pretty fastidious about cleanliness practices in general,” he said.
Just like they do with any news of multistate outbreaks or recalls, he’ll be closely watching how the situation evolves.
Arby’s, whose owner is based in metro Atlanta, used the outbreak to style its “we have the meats” slogan with a different twist. The chain promoted its salad-free menu options. “Marked safe from leafy greens,” the fast-food restaurant posted recently on X, along with a photo of a glistening cheesesteak.
Several large grocers with stores in metro Atlanta did not respond to requests for comment Friday.
The state health department previously attributed the slight uptick of cyclosporiasis cases in Georgia not to the larger outbreak but to eating certain types of produce as the weather gets hotter.
“The rise in illnesses is heavily linked to the increased consumption of fresh, imported produce during the warmer months,” the agency said in an earlier statement.
Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that commonly causes watery diarrhea “with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” according to the CDC. Outbreaks tend to occur most often in the late spring and summer.
The heat-loving parasite infects the bowels and spreads through feces. In the past, people have been infected by consuming fruits or vegetables that were exposed to feces-contaminated irrigation water.
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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