What's Going On With Lettuce?

**Jessica Mendoza** (0:00)
Hey everyone, it's Jess.

**Ryan** (0:02)
And Ryan.

**Jessica Mendoza** (0:03)
Before we get to today's episode, we're here to announce that we're planning our third live show.

**Ryan** (0:08)
This time we'll be back in New York City. We'll be at the City Winery on Wednesday, September 9th.

**Jessica Mendoza** (0:13)
We've got special guests lined up, sharp reporting, insider conversations, all the kind of stuff that hits different when you're in the room for it. Also, Ryan and I are going to stick around after the show to hang out and meet you all, which really is our favorite part.

**Ryan** (0:28)
Tickets go on sale this Friday, July 24th at 10 a.m. Eastern. Head to bit.ly slash JournalNYC. That's bit.ly slash JournalNYC.
We'll drop a link in the show notes too.

**Jessica Mendoza** (0:42)
So get a ticket or two or three or five.

**Ryan** (0:45)
Or 10

**Jessica Mendoza** (0:46)
Or 10

**Ryan** (0:47)
Bring your mom.

**Jessica Mendoza** (0:48)
Come hang out on Wednesday, September 9th in New York City.

**Ryan** (0:52)
Hope to see you there.

**Jessica Mendoza** (1:00)
Some of the best summer meals are big salads full of fresh vegetables and leafy greens. But over the last couple of weeks, lettuce has been having a tough time.

**SPEAKER_3** (1:12)
Federal health officials say shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by a California farm company is the likely source of a severe stomach bug outbreak across the US.

**Jessica Mendoza** (1:22)
And Jesse, are you eating lettuce right now?

**Jesse Newman** (1:28)
So I am eating leafy greens, but I have a pretty big garden and so it comes to the garden.

**Jessica Mendoza** (1:36)
Our colleague Jesse Newman covers the food industry, and her garden grown greens have kept her safe from the tainted lettuce that is the source of an outbreak of cyclosporiasis.

**SPEAKER_5** (1:47)
Got to talk about this parasitic illness that's making more people sick all across the country, including several cases here in Illinois. We're talking about cyclosporiasis.

**Jessica Mendoza** (1:57)
Well, for those of us who don't have our own leafy greens growing in the backyard, I mean, I'm sure this has been big news for the country. I mean, how big is this outbreak that we're talking about?

**Jesse Newman** (2:11)
Yeah, it's a huge, it's a really big outbreak.

**SPEAKER_6** (2:15)
There are nearly 7,000 confirmed cases in 34 states, including Washington, and another 5,100 additional unconfirmed cases.

**Jessica Mendoza** (2:25)
Health officials traced the outbreak to products served at some Taco Bell locations.

**SPEAKER_7** (2:30)
Iceberg lettuce could be the culprit, including some used by fast food giant Taco Bell.

**Jessica Mendoza** (2:35)
These were restaurants that had gotten their produce from a supplier called Taylor Farms.

**SPEAKER_8** (2:40)
CDC investigators believe the likely source is Taylor Farms, a California fresh food supplier that provides lettuce to Taco Bell as well as packaged lettuce to major retailers, among them Walmart, Target and Whole Foods.

**Jessica Mendoza** (2:57)
It seemed clear the source of the outbreak was Taylor Farms. But over the weekend, a series of announcements from both the FDA and Taylor Farms led to confusion for consumers.

**Jesse Newman** (3:10)
For consumers to see these headlines and ask the questions you're asking, wait, is it still Taylor? Is it still Taco Bell? Is it still shredded lettuce? I think it is really some part for, especially when you're in the midst of a public health emergency, for there to be confusing signals.

**Jessica Mendoza** (3:30)
Welcome to The Journal, our show about money, business, and power. I'm Jessica Mendoza.
It's Tuesday, July 21st.

**SPEAKER_9** (3:56)
This episode is presented by Accenture. When you're advertising operations fall out of sync, everything else follows. Spotify and Accenture are working together to reinvent the rhythm of ad sales. Using automation, analytics, and smarter workflows to simplify campaign delivery and access better data across the business. The result? Less time spent on operations, more time connecting brands with the moments and fandoms that matter most. Learn more at accenture.com/spotify.
This episode is brought to you by Accenture. When your advertising operations fall out of sync, everything else follows. Spotify and Accenture are working together to reinvent the rhythm of ad sales.
Using automation, analytics, and smarter workflows to simplify campaign delivery and access better data across the business. The result? Less time spent on operations, more time connecting brands with the moments and fandoms that matter most. Learn more at accenture.com/spotify.

**Jessica Mendoza** (5:02)
Cyclosporiasis is an illness caused by Cyclospora, a parasite found on food. And outbreaks like this actually happen every year. By this time last year, there had been around 250 reported cases. But this time, it's much bigger than usual.
Cyclospora has affected thousands of people across the country. Michigan, the hardest hit state, has reported more than 6,000 cases.