There have been thousands of reported cases of explosive diarrhea in the United States. It’s a nationwide fiasco, as everything under the fresh produce category is susceptible to contamination. The best seasonal foods can land you on the toilet for a month. Taco Bell was recently targeted by the diarrhea police as they sought to get ahead of a public relations nightmare, cooperating with federal and state officials to determine whether it was a potential source of the cyclosporiasis outbreak.
I mean, the jokes write themselves with this one, but as it happens, it turned out to be true. The lettuce supplier for the fast food chain might be the source of the diarrhea-causing lettuce (via NY Post):
BREAKING: CDC investigators officially identify Taylor Farms lettuce supplied to Taco Bell as a suspected source of the cyclosporiasis outbreak sickening thousands.
— Polymarket (@Polymarket) July 16, 2026
A popular lettuce supplier linked to Taco Bell has been identified as a potential source of contamination in the parasitic illness causing explosive diarrhea for thousands of people across the US, according to a new report.
Shredded lettuce supplied to the fast food chain by Taylor Farms has been linked to this summer’s outbreak of cyclosporiasis, according to two individuals familiar with the investigation, The Washington Post reported.
“The signal we have gotten is that there is a very high percentage of people who got sick at Taco Bell, and when investigators asked what their menu items were in common, lettuce came up frequently,” said one of the individuals who spoke to the outlet on the condition of anonymity due to the ongoing investigation.
When the Food and Drugs Administration asked the Mexican fast food giant where they get their lettuce from, Taylor Farms was identified as supplying to stores in Michigan and three other states, where the outbreak has been the largest, according to the source.
[…]
So far, more than 3,400 cases have been reported in The Great Lake State and over 100 people have been hospitalized as of Thursday.
Well, we have some direction, so that’s good, but we only have anonymous sources for this story. Are you kidding me?
Anyways, thanks for the heads up, Diarrhea Deep Throat.
