Wendy’s and Chipotle Mexican Grill announced Friday that neither chain has been affected by a cyclosporiasis outbreak that has been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at some Taco Bell restaurants.
Wendy’s noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s investigation is focused on iceberg lettuce imported from Mexico — an ingredient the burger chain says it does not use. Chipotle also distanced itself from the outbreak, stating it does not serve shredded iceberg lettuce and that its romaine lettuce and Supergreens salad mix are not sourced from Mexico.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the CDC are jointly investigating the outbreak, which has been connected to shredded iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. Cyclosporiasis is a parasitic illness that can trigger diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems.
On Thursday, the FDA announced that Yum Brands-owned Taco Bell would stop using lettuce from a supplier that investigators had flagged. This came shortly after Taco Bell said it had already voluntarily pulled the affected ingredient and planned to replace it within 24 hours in certain states.
According to CDC data cited by the FDA, 1,644 people who reported being infected with the parasitic illness across the five affected states said they had eaten at Taco Bell.
Neither Taco Bell nor the FDA publicly named the supplier involved. However, the Washington Post reported that California-based Taylor Farms had been identified by investigators as a possible source of the contamination. Taylor Farms did not respond when asked for comment.
Foodborne illness outbreaks can take a significant toll on restaurant companies’ stock values. McDonald’s faced similar scrutiny during a cyclospora outbreak connected to salads in 2018, and Chipotle previously dealt with a string of E. coli and norovirus outbreaks that hurt its sales, shook consumer trust, and put pressure on its share price.
