Earlier today, online news source Food Safety News broke the story that Taco Bell was in fact the “Restaurant A” linked by CDC to an outbreak of Salmonella that sickened 68 people in 10 states late in 2011.
Food Safety News stated that:
While suspected ever since the CDC’s outbreak report was issued on January 19, confirmation that Taco Bell was central to the investigation comes in a document from the Oklahoma State Department of Health’s Acute Disease Service titled, “Summary of Supplemental Questionnaire Responses Specific to Taco Bell Exposure of Oklahoma Outbreak associated cases Multistate Salmonella Enterititis Outbreak Investigation.”
Their cover blown, Taco Bell finally admitted the obvious. Reuters reports that:
Taco Bell said in a statement on Wednesday that investigators found that some of the people who became ill ate at Taco Bell, while others did not. “They believe that the problem likely occurred at the supplier level before it was delivered to any restaurant or food outlet. We take food quality and safety very seriously,” Taco Bell said.