Based on reporting by AP

Yum Brands told investors Tuesday that Taco Bell same-store sales in the United States have recovered after a summer outbreak of the parasite cyclospora that federal officials linked to iceberg lettuce, the Associated Press reported¹.

AP said the chain's U.S. same-store sales, at restaurants open at least a year, have outperformed the U.S. fast-food industry since the end of September, according to Yum, which owns Taco Bell¹.

Chief executive Chris Turner said on a conference call that the company was pleased with how quickly sales returned, AP reported¹.

In mid-July, federal health officials identified lettuce from Mexico served at Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia as the source of a widespread cyclospora outbreak, according to AP¹. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised consumers not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell in those five states, the wire said¹.

California supplier Taylor Farms recalled iceberg lettuce from central Mexico, AP said¹. The CDC recorded two deaths and 12,883 related cases across the United States and declared the outbreak over on Sept. 11, according to the report¹.

Taco Bell's U.S. same-store sales fell 4 percent in the July-September period from a year earlier, while international sales rose 5 percent, AP said, citing Yum¹. Yum is based in Louisville, Kentucky¹. Turner also said weekly app-based loyalty deals and the chain's value menu helped bring back core users, according to AP¹.

Sources

1. APTaco Bell sales recover in the US after summer cyclospora outbreak3:00 PM

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