Foodborne illness under investigation

Collaborative effort among state & local health departments

The Niagara County Department of Health is currently investigating reports of illness possibly associated with Mighty Taco restaurants. The investigation is being conducted jointly with the New York State Department of Health, Erie County Department of Health, and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

The ongoing investigation includes:

•Evaluation of the nature of the reported illness and clinical sample collection; and

•Inspection, sampling and analysis of food ingredients, both at a restaurant level and within the ingredient supply chain.

Recent inspections of all three Mighty Taco sites in Niagara County demonstrated food handling and preparation processes and procedures met safe standards. Mighty Taco has removed suspect food items from its restaurants. Samples are being sent to the New York State Public Health Laboratory for testing. Testing may take several weeks of processing and analysis before results are available.

Niagara County is continuing to interview people reporting illness. As of 3:30 p.m. Friday, the county has identified 18 cases of illness associated with dining at Mighty Taco locations in Niagara County. Additional investigations are underway at food manufacturing, supplier and distribution sites by state and federal officials.

More information will be provided as soon as it becomes available. Individuals and medical providers who need to report illness related to this investigation may contact the division of environmental health at 716-439-7444.