Food & Beverage

Bloomberg: Taco Bell told of potential contaminated lettuce July 2

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August 3, 2026 by Valerie Gritton

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Bloomberg News has reported that Michigan Health officials alerted local Yum Brands executives of a potential Cyclospora-contaminated lettuce supply July 2, 15 days prior to Taco Bell pulling lettuce from its locations there and in additional Midwestern states. According to the article, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services spoke with Yum executives and requested information from the company's supply chain quality assurance and communication teams.

From the article: The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services held a call with Yum on July 2 to discuss Cyclospora, according to documents obtained by Bloomberg News through a public records request. In a follow-up email, officials asked to connect with the company's supply chain quality assurance and communications teams "for a discussion about any intervention or notification that could be taken this week to aid in reducing the number of cases in the future."

At the time, Taco Bell assured officials that there were no complaints or reports of illness tied to its lettuce; however, Michigan health officials deemed the risk great enough to continue monitoring the lettuce from Taylor Farms.

"We have a strong signal from our epidemiologic interviews that we need to continue to work with Taco Bell," Michigan's state epidemiologist said in a letter viewed by Bloomberg.

On July 4, the Michigan health department advised businesses and commercial kitchens in the state to take extra precautions with lettuce and leafy greens.

By July 7, Taco Bell began pulling the lettuce from its menu items at some of its Michigan restaurants, although there was no official recall from either the Centers for Disease Control or the Michigan Department of Health. By July 17, federal health officials issued an advisory regarding lettuce at Taco Bell restaurants in five states. That investigation has now increased to nine states. A request for comment was submitted to Yum! Brands and Taco Bell. Neither company had responded as of publication.

Lettuce contaminated with the Cyclospora parasite has infected 6,707 people across 45 states, with two now-reported deaths in Michigan. There also are more than 11,500 unconfirmed cases of the parasite, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And in Michigan, there are a reported 11,234 cases of cyclospora and 193 hospitalizations in the state, according to the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services,

It is the largest outbreak of the parasite in U.S. history.