Taco Bell breaks silence with statement as customers warned over ‘explosive diarrhea’ parasite linked to lettuce

Taco Bell has issued a statement following an ingredient recall in select stores being linked to the ongoing parasite outbreak causing ‘explosive diarrhea’.

1,645 people have been infected by the parasite, Cyclospora cayetanensis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while more than 5,100 cases are said to be under investigation.

It remains unclear the source of the outbreak, though the FDA recently said in a report that the restaurant chain should be avoided in the states of Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.

They noted that 'additional states may be added to this advisory as more information becomes available', before providing the following advice: "If you have symptoms of cyclosporiasis, contact your health care provider to report symptoms and receive care, especially if you ate shredded iceberg lettuce in the two weeks before you got sick."

‘Explosive diarrhea’ is a common symptom of being infected (Getty Stock Photo)

The FDA went on to say Taco Bell is 'working to stop use of all lettuce implicated by this investigation'.

The fast-food chain has since confirmed this, saying in a statement published on Thursday (July 16): "Based on ongoing conversations with public health officials, and out of an abundance of caution, Taco Bell has taken immediate action to voluntarily remove potentially impacted lettuce from a supplier in select states.

"The affected ingredient from our supplier is being indefinitely removed from our supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within 24 hours in select states."

The statement continued: "While no official advisory has been issued, we believe public health is a shared responsibility among restaurants, their suppliers, and authorities, and we are proud to have consistently acted quickly and proactively to protect our guests.

"Taco Bell has taken precautionary action, and we encourage all relevant restaurants, retailers, and foodservice operators to do the same."

Taco Bell has taken action (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Prior to the official statement being released earlier this week, Taco Bell announced in notices across some of its stores that they'd pulled lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole or cilantro onion from its menu.

The notice on several restaurants stated: "We are currently unable to sell lettuce, cilantro onion, pico de gallo, and guacamole due to a nationwide recall. We apologize for the inconvenience.

"Any items ordered that normally come with these items WILL NOT contain them."

Symptoms of cyclosporiasis

The most common complications of being infected with the parasite includes:

• Watery diarrhea
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Cramping
• Bloating
• Increased gas
• Nausea
• Fatigue

Less common symptoms of cyclosporiasis includes:

• Vomiting
• Body aches
• Headache
• Low-grade fever
• Other flu-like symptoms