A voluntary recall was issued for iceberg lettuce distributed to 27 states after federal health officials linked an “explosive diarrhea” parasite to the popular vegetable from its supplier in central Mexico.
Meanwhile, some Democrats are blaming President Donald Trump for the frequent trips to the bathroom.
The lettuce now being recalled by Taylor Farms in California has also hatched a number of lawsuits filed in federal court against Taco Bell, which allegedly used the shredded lettuce contaminated with a parasite called cyclospora.
No deaths have been reported from the outbreak.
Of course, like most any negative condition that makes headlines and impacts Americans, the problem was caused by Trump, according to a Democrat lawmaker and another who is running for Congress.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) posted a video Saturday on social media claiming the “worst outbreak in U.S. history” was caused by the president “taking a wrecking ball” to “our public health infrastructure,” even though the actual source of the outbreak has been traced to Mexico.
Abdul El-Sayed, who is running for Senate in the Michigan Democrat primary, implied on Friday that the administration was at fault for the “abnormally shitty couple of months” in the state caused by both the outbreak and bad air quality caused by Canadian wildfires.
He blamed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Trump’s Food and Drug Administration for the parasite outbreak, and oil companies for the wildfires, presumably through global warming.
Earlier this week, the CDC linked the cyclospora problem to lettuce from a single supplier in Mexico, with the parasite causing at least 1,600 people to become sick this year, the Hill reported.
The distributor, Taylor Farms de Mexico of Guanajuato, Mexico, announced Friday that it is recalling 25 shredded lettuce and salad mix products sourced from the “contaminated lot” in central Mexico, adding that it also stopped purchasing lettuce from that source.
“We are actively removing the implicated products,” Taylor Farms said in a statement. “The company has stopped receiving product from the implicated lot, suspended distribution of the iceberg lettuce from Central Mexico, notified our customers, and we are continuing to work with the FDA, CDC, and state authorities.”
The company also announced:
Consumers who have purchased the recalled iceberg lettuce should discard it immediately and not consume it. Full refunds are also available at the location of purchase. Consumers experiencing health issues should contact their physician. Consumers with any questions may contact our customer care team at 855-455-0098 Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm PST.
The lettuce was recalled in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Taylor Farms’ recall covers products sold under eight different brand codes that were shipped as recently as Thursday and carry “best by” dates through August 3.
A list of those products is available in the Taylor Farms statement posted and linked online.
“The CDC has confirmed at least 1,645 cases of cyclospora infections and 141 hospitalizations. Cases have been identified in 34 states, with Michigan reporting the largest number of confirmed illnesses,” the Hill reported.
Cyclospora spreads through food or water that has typically been contaminated with feces. It becomes a problem most commonly when fresh produce is washed with contaminated water.
Breitbart News contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
Read the full article here