While no specific food source was cited as the cause of the outbreak, the CDC did say that the illnesses resulted after eating at a Mexican-style fast food restaurant chain, referred to by the CDC only as "Restaurant A". In the days and weeks that followed the announcement the CDC defended its decision not to name the company responsible and stated that the contaminated food was no longer in circulation and, thus was no longer a risk to consumers.
On February 1, 2012 Food Safety News published a story confirming Taco Bell to be "Restaurant A".
This is second Salmonella outbreak linked to Taco Bell since 2010.