FDA Admits Massive Mistake on Explosive Diarrhea Outbreak

The Food and Drug Administration was wrong about the culprit of the diarrhea outbreak that has swept the country.

The FDA initially announced Friday that iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms had tested positive for cyclospora, a parasite that can cause explosive bowel movements. Within 24 hours, however, the agency walked back its determination, claiming that the original lettuce sample was a false positive.

“FDA has notified Taylor Farms and continues working with the firm to ensure product implicated in this outbreak has been removed from the market,” the FDA stated on its website.

In their own statement, Taylor Farms said that the FDA had “apologized” for the error and that the agency “has not identified a single positive product test result for cyclospora” from its offerings.

But the damage had already been done: Taco Bell, one of Taylor Farms’ biggest clients, said in a statement Friday that it would move away from using the brand due to public health concerns.

Taylor Farms is one of the largest fresh-produce suppliers in the country, providing products to Walmart, Sam’s Club, Kroger, SYSCO, Aldi, Target, and Dollar General. It also sells food for private label brands such as Whole Foods’ “365” line, and offers assembly-line products for a slew of fast-food chains, including McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Subway, and more.

Despite the false positive, Taylor Farms said that it had recalled all of the shredded lettuce that had been grown and processed in central Mexico out of an abundance of caution.

“While the FDA traceback is indicating a specific independent farm, which represents less than 1% of the U.S.’s iceberg lettuce supply, as the potential source of the outbreak, we have removed all iceberg lettuce from the region indefinitely,” the company said Friday in a statement. Other company products were not recalled.

Since the beginning of May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 1,645 cases of cyclosporiasis and is investigating 5,100 more, though the agency noted that most cases have likely gone unreported. Still, both totals are substantially higher than normal: This time last year, just 249 cases had been reported. So far, 141 cases have led to patients being hospitalized, and no one has died from the disease. ...