Food consolidation may have spread U.S. cyclospora outbreak

A U.S. cyclospora outbreak that has sickened thousands is drawing fresh scrutiny to the food industry's centralized supply chain, with food safety experts warning that consolidation can turn a local contamination problem into a multistate outbreak. Federal investigators are tracing the outbreak while focusing on shredded iceberg lettuce distributed through Taylor Farms' foodservice business, an ingredient that reached Taco Bell and other customers in several states. Experts cited the parasite's long incubation period, the difficulty of tracing its path and criticism of the federal response as factors that complicated the investigation and allowed the outbreak to widen.