Pennsylvania and New Jersey are among the 27 states seeing recalls of shredded lettuce products sourced to Taylor Farms, the produce company at the center of a food safety investigation into an outbreak of “explosive” diarrhea caused by the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis.
Federal officials announced over the weekend that a sample of lettuce taken from a Taylor Farms shipment at the U.S.’s southern border with Mexico tested positive for Cyclospora.
The test involved lettuce that wasn’t affected by the California-based produce company’s recall.
The results turned out to be a false positive. As of Sunday, federal officials said, they had not found a positive test for Cyclospora in a produce sample.
Still, the Food and Drug Administration tweeted Monday, there is “overwhelming epidemiological data supporting the current voluntary recall” from Taylor Farms.
Officials notified the public because it was “actionable public health information,” said Acting Deputy Commissioner for Food Donald Prater in a press call Monday.
Thousands of people have been sickened in a cyclosporiasis outbreak, with cases reported across Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.
Investigators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found more than 1,600 people in those states became ill after they ate iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell, which sourced lettuce from Taylor Farms.
Taylor Farms did not immediately return a request for comment.
Cases in Pa. and N.J.
Cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported in 34 states, including Pennsylvania, though case counts here were low as of last week, affecting 28 people since the beginning of the year and 14 in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
New Jersey health officials said the state had recorded 46 cases between May 1 and July 16. Cases typically rise in the late spring and summer months, and this year’s are in line with a typical year’s case count.
It’s unclear whether anyone in Pennsylvania or New Jersey was sickened after eating Taylor Farms products. The CDC said it is also investigating outbreaks and other cases that are not connected to the Michigan outbreak.
National lettuce product recall
The FDA has listed products affected in the recall on its website. People who bought affected lettuce should throw it out immediately and not eat it, the CDC says.
They should wash items and surfaces that might have touched the lettuce with hot, soapy water, and avoid recalled lettuce at Taco Bell or other restaurants. Customers should ask restaurants about the source of their lettuce before ordering it.
Cyclosporiasis is caused by a single-celled parasite that spreads through fecal material. It can infect a person’s gut after they consume food or water contaminated by feces. Common symptoms include watery diarrhea, a loss of appetite, cramping, nausea, and fatigue.