One aspect of the fast-moving mess known as the Taco Bell lettuce crisis caught our attention: a misstep by supplier Taylor Farms, which involved some ill-advised crowing. The development surprised because generally the company and Taco Bell itself have done decent jobs of communicating.

Lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico has allegedly caused a cyclosporiasis outbreak centering on Taco Bell restaurants in five U.S. states. On July 17, Taylor Farms voluntarily recalled iceberg lettuce produced in central Mexico and sold at Taco Bell and Walmart “because it has the potential to be contaminated with Cyclospora,” parasites that cause severe diarrhea, it said. The recalled lettuce was distributed from June 29 to July 16 across 27 states.

The next day, July 18 (a Saturday), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said a new sample of lettuce from Taylor Farms tested positive for Cyclospora. But the next day (a Sunday!) — in what the New York Post called a “stunning reversal” — the FDA said the test was in fact a “false positive.”

Single Test

Taylor Farms got a little giddy over this news. The produce giant issued a statement that engaged in too much boasting. The statement opened with “Today, FDA apologized to us.” It added, “To be clear, at this moment, FDA has not identified a single positive product test result for Cyclospora.”

It didn’t end there. The agency had something to say about the company’s response. On July 20, it told reporters it never offered an “official apology,” according to Wired. In fact, FDA’s original statement about the false positive mostly focused on how hard it is to test for Cyclospora outbreaks. For that reason, Wired went on to tweak Taylor Farms for gloating that there had been no positive test results thus far.

The FDA also posted on X that “this false-positive lab sample DOES NOT change the basis for FDA’s ongoing outbreak investigation or the overwhelming epidemiological data supporting the current voluntary recall by Taylor Farms.”

Given the sensitivity of the situation, it was a mistake for Taylor Farms to respond to the false-positive news the way it did. A crisis is no time to be cocky. It was also bad for it to say the FDA apologized when it may not have. The company may have realized its gaffe because on July 20 it posted a statement saying, “We remain deeply concerned for the health of those who are ill and will provide any updates relevant for your health.”

Recall, Investigations

And the fact is that the recall remains in place and the investigations, which also include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, continue.

As for Taco Bell, it’s done a good job of responding to the crisis. Even before the recall, the chain proactively pulled lettuce and other potentially affected ingredients, such as pico de gallo, guacamole and its cilantro-onion blend, that were believed to possibly contain the parasites. By July 17, it said it had replaced all potentially affected lettuce in all its stores. The company also wisely curtailed its social-media activity.

The crisis is acute for Taco Bell. Foot traffic is down nationwide, according to USA Today. The stock of its parent company, Yum! Brands Inc. (for which Taco Bell makes up a quarter of sales), fell 9.5 percent over five trading sessions, according to a July 17 Wall Street Journal story. Yesterday, the chain was offering $1 Enchiritos and $1 nacho fries (both lettuce free!). “Just to show how much we appreciate you,” the company said.

Photo Credit: PRCG

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