Lettuce Now Blamed For Taco Bell's E Coli Outbreak

CDC and FDA Suggest Lettuce, Not Green Onions, Most Probable Cause 

The E. coli outbreak seems to be heading to a conclusion but a basic question remains - what caused it? It wasn't the green onions. Early announcements of E. coli being spread from green onions was a CDC lab mistake. Taco Bell itself hired Certified Laboratories to test more than 300 samples of ingredients served in its restaurants. No ingredient -- including lettuce and cheese -- tested positive for the E.coli strain that caused the illness, the company stated.  However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have announced that Taco Bell’s lettuce appears to be the most probable source of the recent E. coli outbreak in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. [FastCasual]

And why lettuce? It is calculated to be the most probable culprit because lettuce is the most prevalent produce. Yet no tests anywhere have shown E. coli in Taco Bell's lettuce.

"Lettuce is sold in approximately 70 percent of our products. We would expect the vast majority of those who ate at Taco Bell to have consumed lettuce, so we can understand how the CDC has concluded their statistical probability analysis," said Taco Bell president, Greg Creed." [CS News]

So to prove its hunch that lettuce is the source, the FDA is focusing its investigation on the main source of Taco Bell's lettuce, supplied by ReadyPac. Nothing uncovered yet though.

Taco Bell stated that the lettuce came to its supplier from a variety of farms across the nation, and once received, was washed and processed at ReadyPac's facilities. As a "precautionary measure," Taco Bell switched produce suppliers for the region from ReadyPac to Taylor Farms.

According to an AP report, Greg Creed, president of Taco Bell said Wednesday the E. coli outbreak linked to East Coast restaurants had hurt sales. According to CNNMoney, some 90 Taco Bell restaurants were closed from the recent E. coli outbreak.

By Thursday Mr. Creed announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had informed it that an E. coli outbreak linked to lettuce served at its restaurants in four U.S. states was over. All its restaurants in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware were expected to reopen by Friday, adding it had discarded food and re-sanitized all restaurants affected in the region.

"I want to reassure our customers that it is absolutely safe to eat at Taco Bell," said Greg Creed, the company's president. [Reuters]

Bizjournals picked up on Taco Bell's announcement Friday that the outbreak was over and added "The CDC found the source of the E. coli to be lettuce."

Huh?

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