Taylor Farms has announced the voluntary removal of all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market due to a cyclosporiasis outbreak.

The Cyclospora parasite, which causes symptoms like watery diarrhea and flu-like symptoms, has infected over 5,000 people in Michigan alone, with 102 hospitalizations. Taco Bell has removed the affected ingredient from its supply chain nationwide.

Despite the voluntary action by Taylor Farms, the source of the outbreak remains under investigation. The FDA is tracing back to a specific independent farm that represents less than 1% of U.S. iceberg lettuce production.

The outbreak highlights challenges in food traceability and safety protocols, as the CDC has had to scale back its FoodNet due to funding cuts, making it harder to identify the source quickly.

While Taylor Farms sells over $7 billion worth of produce annually, the incident underscores the critical need for robust food safety measures in a global supply chain.