Tainted Taco Bell

There’s been a salmonella outbreak this spring and summer that has affected more than 150 people across the nation. Though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have yet to identify the exact source and are tight lipped about where the salmonella came from, they did indicate “Restaurant A,” a Mexican-style fast-food restaurant chain, was the origin. Well, an official from Oregon Public Health spilled the beans to the Oregonian and named the chain–Taco Bell. In addition, the official said not all Taco Bell locations were culprits, but it also wasn’t one store that was solely responsible for the outbreak.

The majority of the illnesses were in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky, but people from all parts of the country were affected. People started getting sick in April, with illnesses continuing through late July. The outbreak involved two different and rare strains of salmonella: Salmonella Hartford and Salmonella Baildon. Investigators suspect Taco Bell locations received tainted lettuce and/or tomatoes.

This was posted on Tuesday, August 10th, 2010 and is filed in the Public Safety categories.