Sysco CEO Kevin Hourican Announces Suspension of Mexican Iceberg Lettuce Purchases Amid Multistate Cyclosporiasis Outbreak
Sysco CEO Kevin Hourican announced that the nation's largest food distributor has stopped purchasing iceberg lettuce from Mexico to address a multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak. The outbreak, which has sickened over 11,000 people in Michigan alone, has been linked by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico through Taylor Farms de Mexico. Hourican stated that Sysco voluntarily recalled impacted products before Taylor Farms issued an official recall. While the FDA has not yet confirmed a positive test result for cyclospora, the company is actively diversifying its procurement to include iceberg lettuce grown in the U.S. to meet demand. Health officials noted that while the infection is generally not life-threatening, two deaths in Michigan were attributed to underlying health conditions worsened by the parasite. Sysco is currently working to replace the large volume of Mexican produce and maintain supply chain integrity for its customers.