WASHINGTON - Taylor Farms, a California-based lettuce supplier, is removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico, the company said in a statement on July 17, as it seeks to curtail a foodborne illness outbreak that could become one of the United States’ largest in recent years.

The company said it was doing so based on information provided on July 16 by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The company added in its statement that no Taylor Farms-branded salads or kits are associated with the cyclosporiasis outbreak, and that no Taylor Farms-branded salad kits contain iceberg lettuce.

An industry source who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media told Reuters that Taylor Farms called clients on July 16, including Taco Bell owner Yum Brands and food distributor Sysco, to pull their shredded lettuce from distribution.

The lettuce, which the FDA said late on July 16 came from Mexico, was produced as five-pound (2.2kg) bags at Taylor Farms’ facility in Guanajuato, Mexico, the source said, adding that Sysco widely distributes such bags to hospitals, ballparks and fast-food chains.

The scope of the recall is unclear. The FDA and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating the outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.

The parasitic illness can cause diarrhoea and other gastrointestinal symptoms.

The FDA has reported no deaths in the outbreak.

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