An unprecedented outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a lettuce-linked parasitic infection known to cause debilitating diarrhea, has sickened more Americans than ever before, causing many consumers to avoid the produce aisle.
With more than 10,000 laboratory-confirmed cases at the federal level and an additional 12,000 and counting awaiting verification, the illness continues to spread.
Not all of these clusters have been linked to the same source, however.
The largest outbreak, centered in Michigan, was traced by the Food and Drug Administration back to recalled iceberg lettuce grown by produce giant Taylor Farms in central Mexico. Though federal health agencies are working to determine the root of several other clusters, lettuce has been the only food identified so far.
Michigan’s health department has outpaced federal agencies in tracking and reporting infections. As of Aug. 6, the department said it had confirmed 12,485 cases since May 1, including the first two deaths identified in the nationwide outbreak.
The department also said Aug. 6 that new cases and associated hospital visits are on the downswing, and that residents can resume their regular lettuce-eating habits. Taylor Farms said in July that it had immediately removed and recalled any “potentially implicated” lettuce and voluntarily suspended all iceberg lettuce sourcing and production from central Mexico.
But with public trust damaged to the point that eateries associated with the ingredient have seen a notable dip in foot traffic, it will likely take more than one assurance to send shoppers back to bagged lettuce.
Here’s what experts are saying.
Is Lettuce Safe to Eat Again?
Michigan residents “can resume routine guidance for consuming lettuce and salad greens,” the state’s health department said in an Aug. 6 statement. “The broad, precautionary recommendation to avoid bagged salad mixes during the Cyclospora outbreak is no longer in effect. Residents may resume their usual food handling practices and make choices based on their individual risk tolerance.”
The department also said that the majority of the affected produce is “likely” no longer available to consumers.
The specific recalled lettuce products associated with the outbreak are indeed likely no longer on shelves or in restaurant kitchens, food scientist and food industry consultant Dr. Bryan Quoc Le told USA TODAY.
“In general cases, cyclospora doesn’t survive for much longer than a few weeks, although there are some rare cases in which it can remain on lettuce for longer. But by that time, the lettuce will have gone through spoilage and won’t be edible anyway,” he said.
Plus, he added, the widespread media coverage has placed additional pressure on companies and government agencies to take action.
Sometimes, such as in the cases of the 2024 Boar’s Head listeria outbreak or the McDonald’s E. coli cluster, when a food company or item becomes the subject of public scrutiny, our food system’s immediate response is often at its best, as previously reported by USA TODAY.
Still, the many eyes fixated on America’s food supply don’t inherently translate to decisive action or trust, says Dr. Dana G. Mordue, associate professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology at New York Medical College.
“Since we do not know the source and we do not know what is causing it, the idea of saying it’s off the shelf probably is not going to be very reliable,” she said of the myriad illness clusters spreading across the United States, most of which do not yet have an identified source. “I would be reluctant to say that it is safe to go back to eating the fruits and vegetables. In fact, we don’t even know for sure what fruits and vegetables are causing the disease.”
Mordue told USA TODAY that she is not ready to drop precautions and would especially warn people at risk of more serious illness, such as older adults and children, to be vigilant.
Not All Lettuce Is Linked to the Outbreak
The source of a cyclosporiasis cluster is more difficult to track than other foodborne illnesses due to a long incubation period, difficulty obtaining samples and the inability to use the same genetic tracking tools available for pathogens like E. coli and listeria, USA TODAY previously reported. Additionally, some critics have said cuts made last year to federal food-monitoring systems for pathogens, such as cyclospora, could exacerbate the challenges.
“We have a lot less information to work with,” Kalmia Kniel, a professor of microbial food safety at the University of Delaware, previously told USA TODAY. “I think we’re seeing some of the effects of that now.”
But don’t completely toss all your lettuce and other produce out, said Angela Fernandez, a food safety expert at GS1 US, a nonprofit standards organization that helps manage food safety infrastructure.
“Yes, lettuce is safe to eat as long as it isn’t part of the specific recall. It’s understandable that consumers are cautious … But recalls are often more targeted than some people realize,” she told USA TODAY. “Companies capture details about a product’s origin, movement and handling that can help investigators narrow down what was actually affected. That means a recall may apply only to a specific harvest or lot of certain products, purchase dates or regions, rather than all lettuce being sold nationwide.”
How to Reduce Your Risk
Still, cyclospora infections pose a well-established challenge to that usual certainty, thanks to how difficult they can be to track. Because of this, experts like Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, say it is not only reasonable, but probably a good idea, to keep some guardrails in place.
“(Washing produce) in a water-vinegar solution shakes the cyclospora off, and then a good rinse afterwards will really help cut down on any pathogen load,” she advised. “If you’re really thinking about keeping your family safe, it’s not unreasonable to continue to wash your lettuce at this time while we watch the numbers go down.”
Mordue adds that you can reduce your risk by sourcing lettuce from your local farmers’ market or by choosing other fresh produce in the meantime to get your fruit and vegetables fix.
“I would say anything that has a good, strong rind on it that’s smooth, like tomatoes, cucumbers, bananas, apples, those you can actually probably safely rinse off the outside of and eat,” she said. “And in general, frozen fruits and vegetables are probably pretty safe.”
Ultimately, the question of what is “safe” to eat depends on your personal tolerance for risk. Foodborne outbreaks have been traced to nearly every aisle of the grocery store, and no one precaution can guarantee a 100% success rate in avoiding illness. Instead, people should weigh what is best for them and their families with the understanding that food-associated outbreaks should be taken seriously, said Mordue.
“I hear some people making fun of it in terms of weight loss. Other people are saying that it’s just politics, playing games,” she said. “Infectious diseases do not play politics … we should take it seriously. We should not let it scare us, but we should take it seriously and use appropriate precautions.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is lettuce safe to eat now? What to know amid cyclospora outbreak
Reporting by Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
