Key facts
- Taco Bell is selling Enchiritos for $1.
- Lettuce served at Taco Bell in five states was linked to a cyclospora parasite outbreak.
- The CDC advised consumers to avoid shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.
- A single supplier, Taylor Fresh Foods, was identified by the FDA.
- Taco Bell will stop using lettuce from the identified supplier nationwide.
- Taylor Fresh Foods is removing iceberg lettuce from central Mexico from the U.S. market.
Taco Bell is offering its Enchiritos for $1 as a promotion amid fallout from a lettuce recall. Federal health officials have identified lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in five U.S. states as a source of a widespread outbreak of the diarrhea-causing parasite cyclospora.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned consumers not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. A record number of cyclospora cases have been reported in more than 30 states. The Food and Drug Administration investigation has so far identified a single supplier of the lettuce, with Taylor Fresh Foods stating it was from a specific independent farm affiliated with the company.
Taco Bell has committed to stop using any lettuce from the identified supplier nationwide, with replacements expected within 24 hours in select states. Taylor Fresh Foods is voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market.
Federal health officials stressed that other brands, restaurants, retailers, or distribution channels could be tied to the outbreak, and Michigan investigators are examining if the lettuce went to other establishments, as many ill people did not report eating at Taco Bell. Cyclosporiasis, the illness caused by the parasite, is typically treated with antibiotics and is not usually life-threatening, though hospitalizations have occurred.