The Inside Straight

Update on E Coli/Taco Bell Story

I had expressed concern yesterday about an E coli outbreak that was limited to one chain: Taco Bell.

One reader  advised me 3 smaller chains have had outbreaks , which were never publicized.

Another reader pointed out some restaurant chains have exclusive purchase agreements with certain suppliers , and it is possible Taco Bell made that a condition of their agreement with the lettuce supplier. (We are talking about boxcar quantities of lettuce,supplied on a daily basis.)

Obviously, if a supplier sells all of its output to a restaurant chain, only that chain will be affected if there is a problem with the item.

Worth noting: Taco Bell has changed its produce supplier.

Hopefully, the change will end the outbreak !

E Coli Outbreak: Why Just at Taco Bell ?

The highly-publicized outbreak of E. Coli at Several Taco Bell restaurants has been traced - very, tentatively-to the shredded lettuce the fast food chain uses in so many of its dishes.

The  question that comes to mind is this : Given the circumstance that this self-same lettuce is probably on supermarket shelves all over America; that shredded lettuce is a common ingredient in restaurants that sell Mexican food (and sub sandwiches) , why hasn't this outbreak affected anyone other than patrons of the Taco Bell restaurants ?

The first answer that comes to mind is deliberate human intervention; eg: an extortion scheme, a revenge plot , a little do-it-yourself terrorism , a "reality-challenged individual" (formerly known as  a "friggin' nut job") ......located somewhere down the distribution chain : so far down the ladder as to be  almost "invisible" to the corporate eye.

I'm told (informally) Taco Bell has a comparatively rigid employer/employee structure: long lists of do's and don'ts; rigidly scheduled rest breaks ; much more training than one might expect in a low-wage job;and very close supervision. They also have  rather brisk employee turnover - which I've heard - seems to come as a surprise to Management.

I hope my idle speculation on this is wrong , and there is a more (excuse the expression) palatable answer to this "mystery" !