Food Poisoning Briefly Closes a Taco Bell in N.Y.

Taco Bell Corp. said Monday that it temporarily closed a restaurant in Upstate New York after an outbreak of illness among customers.

The company confirmed that it took the precautionary measure of shutting down a Taco Bell outlet in Syracuse, N.Y., after 11 cases of salmonella B, a type of food poisoning, were reported. The restaurant, which the company closed on Sunday, reopened for business on Monday, said Janis Smith, a spokeswoman at the fast-food chain’s headquarters in Irvine.

“This is an isolated incident,” Smith said. She added that all food products were removed from the restaurant and were replaced with new shipments of food.

Health department officials in Syracuse have not found the cause of the outbreak, Smith said, and there was no definitive proof that any Taco Bell food was contaminated. The company said all workers have volunteered to be tested. She also said the company and the local health department are investigating the cause of the outbreak.

Onondaga County Medical Director David Brittain said test results had confirmed 11 cases of salmonella poisoning. More than 100 people were tested, Brittain said, but further results will not be available until today.

Inspectors found no improper food handling or violations at the restaurant, Brittain said at a press conference.

“There was nothing we could find to blame the problem on. In a way,” he said of the company’s employees, “they seem to have been an innocent bystander just like the public.”

Smith said the company has offered to help stricken customers with their medical bills.

Salmonella poisoning is characterized by fever and intestinal disorders. The bacteria thrive on chicken, eggs, dairy products and other moist foods.

The ill Taco Bell patrons apparently visited the restaurant some time between June 14 and Saturday, Brittain said. Some employees also reported symptoms, he said.

Taco Bell, which sells Mexican-style fast food, is owned by Pepsico Inc., a food and beverage conglomerate based in Purchase, N.Y. The salmonella outbreak comes just days after Pepsico’s Pepsi-Cola division had to cope with a publicity nightmare prompted by dozens of unfounded claims of syringes, needles and other objects in Pepsi cans and bottles.

Times staff writer Dean Takahashi contributed to this story.