An Ohio man is suing a Taco Bell franchisee over the cyclosporiasis outbreak after eating at one of the chain’s restaurants in the Cleveland area and becoming ill.
Mohammed Ayyad’s lawsuit claims that he ate two meals involving items he ordered regularly from a Taco Bell in North Olmsted, Ohio, on June 14, and another meal on June 21 that also involved multiple orders of cheesy fiesta potatoes and avocado ranch chicken stackers.
Ayyad began experiencing symptoms of a cyclospora infection on June 23 and worsened from a fever to include diarrhea and vomiting over the next day, the lawsuit alleges. He remained ill through July 2 and went to a healthcare provider, providing a stool sample confirmed on July 9 that he contracted cyclosporiasis that was then treated with antibiotics, but missed two weeks of work.
The suit claims that the Taco Bell franchisee, Pacific Bells LLC, sold defective food products to Ayyad, who is seeking damages for pain and suffering, medical and pharmaceutical expenses, lost wages and emotional distress.
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FOX Business reached out to Taco Bell for comment on the lawsuit.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday posted an update into the cyclospora outbreak which noted it and other public health agencies are investigating infections linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in five states – including Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.
CDC’s update noted there have been 1,644 cyclospora infections recorded in relation to the outbreak with exposure to Taco Bell over the five states, with illness dates ranging from May 13 to July 13. There have been 94 hospitalizations and no deaths have been reported, per the agency.
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The update added that the true number of sick people in the outbreak “is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses.” That’s because some people will recover without medical care and aren’t tested cyclospora, while other recent illnesses may not have been reported yet because it can take up to six weeks to determine if a sick person is part of the outbreak.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identified a single supplier of shredded lettuce from Mexico used at the Taco Bell locations where sick people ate before becoming ill.
The FDA is looking to determine if the shredded iceberg lettuce went to other places, and is working with the supplier to determine if potentially contaminated lettuce remains on the market, while Taco Bell said it would stop using lettuce from the supplier.
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Taco Bell said in a statement provided to FOX Business on Thursday that, “Based on ongoing conversations with public health officials, and out of an abundance of caution, Taco Bell has taken immediate action to voluntarily remove potentially impacted lettuce from a supplier in select states. The affected ingredient from our supplier is being indefinitely removed from our supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within 24 hours in select states.”
“While no official advisory has been issued, we believe public health is a shared responsibility among restaurants, their suppliers, and authorities, and we are proud to have consistently acted quickly and proactively to protect our guests. Taco Bell has taken precautionary action, and we encourage all relevant restaurants, retailers, and foodservice operators to do the same,” the company added.
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