Week in Review: Outbreak affects lettuce market 

The Cyclospora outbreak linked to Mexican lettuce served at Taco Bell led to two deaths reported in Michigan this week. 

Deaths from cyclosporiasis are rare in the U.S., and the loss of life is both sad and the most important thing to keep in perspective. 

The FDA also expanded the outbreak to 15 states. 

From a produce industry standpoint, the outbreak is affecting consumer demand, as consumers are avoiding salads and lettuce varieties, even if they’re not linked to the outbreak. 

This led this week to growers in California abandoning crops, as the consumer demand is too low to justify harvesting and bringing product to market. 

Even the Wall Street Journal covered the issue. 

IFPA submitted formal comments to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending enhancements to the federal government’s Cyclospora outbreak investigation process, including a more comprehensive consideration of exposure pathways (recreational, occupational, water-related) alongside foodborne exposures. 

“Protecting public health and finding the source of outbreaks as quickly as possible are goals we all share,” said Max Teplitski, Chief Science Officer of IFPA. “The best way to achieve that is to ensure investigators systematically consider all likely routes of exposure. 

“We need to see this outbreak end and its root cause(s) identified. Looking to the future, we need to expand our thinking about this parasite and seriously consider other routes of exposure that are likely, but have been traditionally less common in the U.S.,” Teplitski said. 

The fallout from this outbreak looks likely to continue for months.  

It’s wise to take a long-term approach and apply what everyone has learned during this outbreak to improve outcomes in the future.