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A nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak has left many fearing lettuce and other produce, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported Taylor Farms lettuce tested positive for the parasite, then later said it was a false positive.
Nevertheless, Taco Bell removed all lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms after early reports linked the outbreak to the fast-food giant. Taylor Farms then voluntarily recalled all iceberg lettuce products sourced from Taylor Farms de Mexico, which was believed to be a possible source of the outbreak.
Taco Bell's customer visits were down 19% on July 17, which is a below average normal Friday for the chain, according to Forbes. Are other restaurants seeing declines in customer traffic - or just in the number of salad orders - due to the cyclosporiasis outbreak?
Selling less salads
Mahasti Vafaie, owner of The Tomato Head restaurant in Knoxville said it seemed like fewer people were ordering salads over the weekend, although she didn't have exact numbers.
"It felt to me a little bit like salad sales were down," Vafaie said.
Many of The Tomato Head's ingredients are sourced locally, and the pizza spot doesn't have any iceberg lettuce on its menu. Vafaie said she was concerned at first but spoke with the Knox County Environmental Health Division, which assured her the outbreak was contained to just iceberg lettuce from Mexico.
Vafaie said she reached out to her lettuce supplier and other suppliers to ask, but none were concerned about their products being at risk for cyclosporiasis.
"None of our produce is coming from Mexico," Vafaie said.
A spokesperson for Chipotle, which like Taco Bell uses Taylor Farms as a supplier, said there wasn't a link between the outbreak and Chipotle.
“We are continuing to follow the cyclospora investigation very closely, and at this time, we don’t believe the ingredients we source are associated," the spokesperson said in an email.
Chipotle did not address whether there were any shifts in customer ordering habits since the cyclosporiasis outbreak.
Other chain restaurants that use Taylor Farms as a supplier are McDonald's, KFC, Subway, Long John Silver's and Pizza Hut. Darden Restaurants - whose brands include Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse, Yard House, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, The Capital Grille, Chuy's, Seasons 52 and Eddie V's - also get products from Taylor Farms.
A spokesperson for Darden restaurants did not immediately respond when asked about how the cyclosporiasis outbreak was affecting produce sales.
What is cyclosporiasis?
Cyclosporiasis is a foodborne illness caused by a microscopic parasite, Cyclospora cayetanensis, according to the Centers for Disease Control. As a parasitic infection, it is different from other foodborne illnesses that are more commonly caused by bacteria, including salmonella or e. coli.
During the current multi-state outbreak, close to 2,000 cases have been confirmed and over 5,000 are suspected by the CDC. The reported number of cases is higher this year than for the same period in 2025.
People who have been exposed to the parasite can begin experiencing symptoms anywhere from two to 14 days later. Symptoms including nausea, vomiting, prolonged fatigue, a low-grade fever, loss of appetite, abdominal cramping and diarrhea that can be watery and explosive can persist for weeks or longer.
Has cyclosporiasis been reported in Tennessee?
Tennessee has reported between 11 and 30 cases, according to the CDC, far fewer than the state with the highest number of cases, Michigan, which is believed to have between 501 and 900 cyclosporiasis cases.
The Shelby County Health Department confirmed on July 15 there was six cyclosporiasis cases. Four of those cases were determined to be travel-related and the other two were under investigation.
On July 16 the Knox County Health Department confirmed there were two cases of the diarrhea-causing parasite, although those numbers are around typical for what Knox County normally sees this time of year and might not be related to the outbreak.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Cyclosporiasis outbreak is changing how Tennessee diners order lettuce, restaurants say
