Salinas-based Taylor Farms linked to U.S. cyclospora outbreak, report says

A Monterey County company is now at the center of a nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak. The Washington Post is reporting that lettuce from Taylor Farms, a company headquartered in Salinas, may have supplied contaminated lettuce to Taco Bell.

The recent outbreak of cyclosporiasis has sickened roughly 4,000 people and hospitalized about a hundred patients. It's news that made some people worried sick about their food safety. Denise Gustafsson says she tries to be as careful as she can with her produce. Making sure everything is washed.

"Even though they've been pre-cleaned, I throw things usually in a colander and whirl them around and freshen them up a bit," Gustafson said. "I think it just plays to be safe."

How people in 34 states got sick with cyclosporiasis was a mystery until now. A source familiar with the FDA investigation has identified a single supplier of iceberg lettuce from Mexico, Taylor Farms, and was used by Taco Bell locations in five states.

"The parasite has to sit in the environment for more than a week," Dr. Peter Chin Hong, a UCSF infectious disease specialist, said. "Sometimes two weeks under high temperatures to become infectious and make these spores. That's why the name is cyclosporiasis."

Dr. Chin Hong says humans carry the parasite, which eventually ends up in feces. Typically, California sees about 40 cases a year. Symptoms could take weeks to surface.

"It happens a week or two after exposure so you might not think you've eaten anything risky," Dr. Chin Hong said. "For example, you might've stopped eating lettuce because of what's going on, but this is a risk of a week or two ago."

Taco Bell has released a statement saying the company has voluntarily removed potentially impacted lettuce from a supplier in select states. Taylor Farms has not responded to our request for comment. The company is based in Salinas but has 30 regional processing facilities throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

While this has caused a scare, doctors say it's no excuse for people not to eat their fruits and vegetables.

"People should not panic," he said. "You definitely should eat fruits and vegetables. That's one of the healthiest things we can do for our diet. It's the peak time for fruits right now so please enjoy them and enjoy them safely."

Dr. Peter Chin Hong says cooking your fruits and vegetables eliminates the risk of getting sick from the parasite, but sticking to fruits with peels can also help. He adds that with leafy greens, removing the outer two to three layers will reduce the risk as well.

"I'm just extra careful," Gustafsson said. "That's all you really can do. Unless you're simply not going to buy them. I just wash them."