A Taco Bell restaurant in La Cañada Flintridge, Calif., on July 14, 2026. Mario Tama/Getty Images
Taco Bell on July 14 confirmed that it has voluntarily removed some menu items as a precautionary measure amid an outbreak of a diarrhea-causing parasite in the United States.
“The health and safety of our guests is our top priority. Public health officials have not confirmed a link to Taco Bell or any specific ingredient, supplier, restaurant or retailer,” Taco Bell said in a statement to news outlets.
“While authorities continue their broader review, Taco Bell has voluntarily and temporarily removed limited ingredients at select restaurants as a precautionary measure. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and follow the guidance of public health authorities.”
More than half of the states in the country have recently reported cases of cyclosporiasis, which is caused by a parasite called cyclospora that spreads through produce contaminated with feces. Michigan has reported the most cases with 3,309 as of July 14.
WWJ-TV, a Detroit-based broadcaster, reported this week that Taco Bell locations had been putting up signs that said they were unable to sell lettuce, cilantro onion, Pico de Gallo, and guacamole “due to a nationwide recall.”
Taco Bell did not return a request for comment for more details.
Michigan authorities said this week that their investigation pointed to lettuce or salad greens as a potential source of the outbreak, although they have not been able to completely rule out other items.
“No specific type of produce, grower or supplier has been identified as the source,” the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement.
Asked whether the Food and Drug Administration was looking at any specific company, such as Taco Bell, in its investigation, acting FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food Donald Prater told reporters on a call on Tuesday that the “FDA certainly is continuing its traceback investigation on multiple produce items, also including locations that are reported by the case patients before they became sick.”
Gwen Biggerstaff, deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases, said that the cyclosporiasis cases in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia are likely linked.
“The states are really actively tracking down and interviewing cases and collating the data that are available,” she said, adding later that the work would lead to the identification of a source.
Cyclosporiasis cases happen in the United States each summer, but the number this year is unusually high, officials said. Prior cyclosporiasis outbreaks have been caused by contaminated produce such as green onions, peas, and raspberries.
Officials are advising people to wash their hands before and after handling produce, wash produce before preparing, and consider cooking any produce before consumption.
