Taco Bell Wasn’t The First: Other Cyclospora Outbreaks You Probably Forgot About

Taco Bell has been everywhere lately, but not for the usual reasons.

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Instead of wowing us with fresh new Pepper Jack Steak Burritos or even heartwarming tales of Taco Bell-loving couples who celebrate milestones over a cheesy Enchirito, the beloved chain is battling a parasite outbreak that just might’ve started with its shredded lettuce. 

While it’s all anyone can talk about right now (I mean, the jokes do write themselves), the ongoing Cyclospora outbreak is merely the latest foodborne illness to hit fast food restaurants in the U.S., although some might argue it’s perhaps the most explosive one to visit homes across the country. Fast food has actually been hit by a number of equally serious—and even deadly—safety scares in recent history, including two prior illness outbreaks in just the last four years. 

You’ve probably forgotten all about the four outbreaks we’re digging into below, even though they were just as massive in the news when they happened.

2024: Food Poisoning Strikes At McDonald’s

McDonald’s was in the hot seat just two years ago for an outbreak of its very own. Back in 2024, E. coli bacteria caused a food poisoning outbreak that affected over 100 people across 14 states and resulted in more than 30 hospitalizations and one death.

The source of the E. coli bacteria at the root of the problem? It was linked to the raw onions used on the famous McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. And the supplier just so happened to be Taylor Farms, the very same supplier who’s connected to the Taco Bell Cyclospora outbreak. (That shouldn’t be so surprising, though, as Taylor Farms is one of the nation’s largest producers of fresh veggies.)

The outbreak spiraled and McDonald’s ultimately yanked the Quarter Pounder off its menu in the states where the outbreak was centered until the issue was resolved.

2022: Lettuce Poses Problems At Wendy’s

The current Cyclospora situation is by no means the first time lettuce has wreaked havoc on a fast food chain. Back in 2022, Wendy’s had an experience that pretty much mirrored Taco Bell’s current situation. People who’d dined at Wendy’s locations in Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania started falling ill, and the culprit turned out to be romaine lettuce.

This outbreak, which sickened over 100 people, led Wendy’s to remove the lettuce from its sandwiches in the affected areas. While it was a far smaller outbreak in scope than others, it too was caused by E. coli on those leafy greens. 

Wendy’s escaped relatively unscathed (we had just come out on the other side of a pandemic, after all) and the outbreak lasted about two months before quickly fading into history.

2015: E. coli Shuts Down Chipotle

If there’s one fast food outbreak I know I’ll never forget, it’s this one. Back in 2015, Chipotle was everywhere—both figuratively and literally. This was right around Chipotle’s peak era and people couldn’t get enough of the fast food, oversized-burrito-serving chain. Unfortunately, everyone pretty much got their fill when an E. coli outbreak hit restaurants up and down the West Coast.

Chipotle was hit with not one, but two E. coli outbreaks that wound up wreaking such havoc that it led every single restaurant to temporarily close for employee training. 

Yep, that’s right: Every Chipotle closed in February 2016, although it was just for a few hours. By the end of the disastrous illness, one of the company’s CEOs even stepped down and Chipotle wound up paying millions of dollars in fines.

The source? Well, it’s not definitive. But the investigation suggested that, in addition to an issue within Chipotle’s supply chain, employee food safety practices at store locations across the U.S. weren’t exactly up to par and could’ve been a contributing factor.

1992 to 1993: Undercooked Burgers Wreak Havoc At Jack in the Box

Lastly, back in the 1990s there was a pretty significant foodborne illness outbreak tied to Jack in the Box. More than 500 cases of illness and four deaths happened, along with a complete PR disaster—and the root cause was undercooked hamburgers contaminated with E. coli. 

The outbreak hit Jack in the Box restaurants in California, Idaho, Washington, and Nevada. The issue started at five different slaughterhouses, where the contaminated meat first popped up. Unfortunately, the outbreak was tricky to trace because investigators from the CDC couldn’t quite tell if one particular plant or farm was the source, or if the problem came from multiple.

But another factor was at play: The burger patties were also undercooked, adding fuel to the outbreak and food safety issues.

The outbreak ended up becoming so serious that it even reached President Bill Clinton soon after his inauguration. A federal investigation’s findings ultimately ended up changing regulatory practices nationwide, wrapping up the disaster with changes that would make fast food safer for future diners.