Taco Bell said it removed some ingredients at select restaurants as a precaution amid an outbreak of a parasite that causes severe diarrhea and has sickened thousands across the US.
Public health officials haven’t confirmed a link to Taco Bell, to any specific ingredient or supplier, or to other businesses, the company said in a statement. The chain removed the items “voluntarily and temporarily” as authorities continue to review the causes of the cyclospora outbreak. It didn’t specify which ingredients were affected.
“We will continue to closely monitor the situation and follow the guidance of public health authorities,” the company said.
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Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands Inc. It runs some restaurants and franchises others to independent operators. Franchisees in some Michigan stores stopped serving lettuce as a precaution, Bloomberg News previously reported.
Michigan appears to be the epicenter of the outbreak, but so far more than 30 states have also reported infections in the last two weeks, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Public health officials there said the outbreak may be tied to contaminated lettuce or salad greens.
Yum shares fell 2.7% at 3:40 p.m. in New York trading on Tuesday. The stock has advanced about 4% so far this year.
Shares of Sweetgreen Inc., which has a salad-focused menu, fell as much as 13% on Tuesday, the most intraday since February.
“For Sweetgreen if they can’t get lettuce or if lettuce prices skyrocket, it’s a bigger problem,” Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Michael Halen said. “Salads are a massive percentage of what they sell.”
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Sweetgreen didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Smaller restaurants in other states have also started taking precautionary measures. The Buzz cafe in Monrovia, Maryland, said that it’s removing some menu items due to the cyclospora outbreak. Aberrant Ales in Howell, Michigan, is taking lettuce off its menu.
Niki Becker, the owner of a chain of vegan restaurants in Florida called the Green Table Restaurant, opted to take lettuce off the menu at all locations. She also advised against using raw scallions and fresh basil.
Becker said she hasn’t received a recall notice from her suppliers, but opted to take action to ensure customer safety.
“What has me bothered, is that nobody is really saying where it’s coming from,” she said.