Sysco has stopped buying iceberg lettuce from Mexico amid US cyclosporiasis outbreak, CEO says
SYY•Sysco shifts iceberg lettuce sourcing amid outbreak
Sysco SYY.N, 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.
The move shows how the largest U.S. outbreak of cyclosporiasis on record has forced adjustments to the food supply chain as cases of the disease continue to mount.
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."
