July 17 (Reuters) – Foodborne illness outbreaks have repeatedly disrupted U.S. restaurant chains, triggering recalls, lawsuits and heightened regulatory scrutiny while pressuring customer traffic and sales.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday that Taco Bell, owned by Yum Brands, will stop using lettuce from a supplier the agency has linked to an ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak.
The business impact of such outbreaks has varied widely.
Analysts at TD Cowen wrote last week that similar food safety issues at McDonald’s in late 2024 only impacted the chain for a quarter, while the Wendy’s episode in 2022 saw no discernible impact at all. But previous outbreaks in 2015 at Chipotle Mexican Grill and in 1993 at Jack in the Box caused sales at those companies to drop sharply for several quarters.
Below is a look at major foodborne illness outbreaks and contamination scares that have affected U.S. restaurant and food companies in recent years.
Date Company Illness Impact
Outbreak
July, 2026 Taco Cyclosporiasis The U.S. Food and
Bell Drug Administration
said that Taco
Bell, owned by Yum
Brands, will stop
using lettuce from
a supplier the
agency has linked
to an ongoing
cyclosporiasis
outbreak.
Michigan health
officials reported
5,002 cases of
cyclosporiasis as
of July 17.
February, Lyons Listeria The FDA and the
2025 ReadyCare, Centers for Disease
Sysco Control and
Imperial, Prevention
Prairie investigated a
Farms multistate listeria
Dairy, outbreak linked to
Kraft Lyons ReadyCare and
Heinz Sysco Imperial
frozen supplemental
shakes manufactured
by Prairie Farms
Dairy, prompting a
recall of the
products.
Kraft Heinz
recalled some Oscar
Mayer turkey bacon
products over
concerns about
Listeria
monocytogenes
contamination in
July that year.
October, McDonald’s E. coli The restaurant
2024 chain temporarily
stopped serving
slivered onions in
affected states
after an E. coli
outbreak tied to
Quarter Pounder
burgers. FDA said
slivered onions
supplied by Taylor
Farms were the
likely source,
prompting a
voluntary recall;
CDC reported 104
illnesses, 34
hospitalizations
and one death by
December.
August, Wendy’s E. coli The CDC said it was
2022 probing an E.coli
bacteria outbreak
in four states from
an unknown food
source, with many
of the affected
reported to have
had sandwiches at
Wendy’s Co.
Wendy’s removed
romaine lettuce
from sandwiches in
some restaurants as
CDC investigated an
E. coli outbreak.
July, 2018 Chipotle Clostridium A type of bacteria
perfringens found in meat and
bacterium pre-cooked food
left at unsafe
temperatures was
responsible for
sickening hundreds
of people who ate
at a Chipotle
Mexican Grill
restaurant in Ohio,
local health
officials said a
month after
Chipotle’s Ohio
outlets were linked
to food poisoning
complaints.
November, Chipotle E. coli Chipotle Mexican
2015 Grill said it may
never pinpoint what
caused an E. coli
outbreak linked to
two restaurants in
Kansas and
Oklahoma, extending
a mystery over
dozens of illnesses
tied to the burrito
chain.
Company and health
officials
investigating the
outbreak had also
cited the same
hurdles to tracing
the cause of a
larger E. coli
outbreak which
sickened at least
50 Chipotle
customers in nine
states since
October.
November, Chipotle Norovirus Boston Public
2015 Health Commission
reported that 91
people had been
sickened by
norovirus linked to
a Chipotle
restaurant in
Boston.
(Reporting by Sanskriti Shekhar in Bengaluru and Waylon Cunningham in New York; Editing by Jonathan Ananda)
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