(Corrects headline, paragraphs 1 and 4 after Sysco spokesperson says company has only stopped buying iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms that was produced in Mexico)
By Tom Polansek
CHICAGO, Aug 4 (Reuters) – Sysco, the biggest U.S. food distributor, has stopped buying iceberg lettuce from Mexico due to the U.S. cyclosporiasis outbreak, CEO Kevin Hourican said on Tuesday.
An investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has linked the outbreak to iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants and sourced from privately held Taylor Farms operations in central Mexico. However, authorities are still looking for other potential sources.
“We’re not buying iceberg lettuce from them, and we’re not buying it from Mexico,” Hourican said in an interview. “To the degree that we can further diversify our procurement, that is something we’re actively working on.”
In mid July, Sysco halted sales and distribution of Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce from Mexico. Sysco did a voluntary recall at the time and then Taylor Farms notified the distributor of the official recall, Hourican said.
Last week, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said some large retailers and restaurants were shunning produce from other growers in central Mexico out of fear about broader contamination of the region’s farms.
“We’ve changed country and geography of origin, and we’re obviously communicating actively with our customers about the state of play here,” Hourican said.
(Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Sanjeev Miglani)
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