The U.S Food and Drug Administration confirm that the outbreak of cyclosporiasis in Nebraska and Iowa is linked to salad mix served at restaurants supplied by a Mexican farm. However, it is yet to find out the link in other 14 states.
FDA said in a statement, "It is not yet clear whether the cases reported from other states are all part of the same outbreak. But the investigation of increased cases of cyclosporiasis in other states continues."
Mike Bernstein, spokesperson of the affected Orlando-based Darden restaurants, told Reuters Health, “Nothing we have seen prior to this announcement gave us any reason to be concerned about the products we've received from this supplier."
Illnesses from the restaurants have been traced to Taylor Farms de Mexico, the Mexican branch of Salinas, Calif.-based Taylor Farms and according to the company, their facility located about 180 miles north of Mexico City in San Miguel de Allende is the only one of its 12 sites to be associated to the cases.
Bruce Taylor, Chairman and CEO of Taylor Farms, said in an e-mail, “The Mexican plant produced 48 million servings of salads for thousands of restaurants in the Midwest and eastern U.S. in June, the month the outbreak started.” He added that the facility has an extensive water testing program.
"All our tests have been negative and we have no evidence of cyclospora in our product," Taylor said. "We are working closely with the FDA to continue this investigation."
Taylor denied that they supply Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants in Texas, the state with the second most illnesses in the outbreak. According to CDC, 113 of the illnesses reported so far were in Texas. Iowa has had 146 illnesses and Nebraska 81.
FDA claimed it had inspected the Mexican processing facility in 2011 and found no remarkable issues yet it would increase surveillance efforts for green leafy products imported from Mexico.
The agency said its investigation has not implicated any packaged salad sold in grocery stores.
