NEW YORK – The largest cyclospora food poisoning outbreak in U.S. history is over, U.S. health officials said Friday.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials have stated that they are confident all recalled iceberg lettuce related to this specific outbreak has been removed from the market. This announcement comes after a significant multistate outbreak linked to over 13,000 reported cases of cyclospora, a parasite that causes intestinal illness.
Despite the outbreak being declared over, many questions remain, particularly regarding its origin. Cyclospora is spread through human feces, raising concerns about how sewage could have contaminated enough food to sicken so many people.
“This contamination can occur if produce is grown in soil or comes into contact with water that has been contaminated,” explained Ellen Shumaker, director of outreach for the Safe Plates program at North Carolina State University.
Since May 1, nearly 20,000 lab-confirmed cases of cyclospora have been reported, which is more than 16 times the number reported during the same period last year. Additionally, over 6,100 suspected cases have been documented. To put this into perspective, the worst previous year for cyclospora infections in the U.S. was 2019, when approximately 4,700 illnesses were reported.
This year’s surge in cases was mainly linked to an outbreak involving iceberg lettuce across 21 states. However, there are thousands of other cases that have not been tied to this specific outbreak. Michigan experienced the highest number of reported cases and is also where the two U.S. deaths tied to the outbreak occurred.
Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that leads to watery diarrhea, often described as having frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Outbreaks typically happen during late spring and summer months. While cyclosporiasis is less common than foodborne illnesses caused by germs like salmonella and E. coli, many cases go unlinked to a specific food source.
Initially, investigators focused on lettuce served at Taco Bell as a possible source of the outbreak. Federal officials later turned their attention to Taylor Farms, which was identified as the supplier of the iceberg lettuce. The company issued a recall for iceberg lettuce grown in central Mexico, which was used in thousands of packaged salad products distributed to major restaurant chains, including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC.
As of Friday, the FDA has concluded its on-site inspections and sample collection at iceberg lettuce growers and processing facilities in Mexico. However, samples collected during these inspections are still pending analysis.
This outbreak has highlighted ongoing concerns regarding the U.S. food safety system, particularly the decreasing number of international inspections aimed at catching contaminated produce before it reaches American consumers. Ensuring the safety of our food supply remains a crucial responsibility for regulators.
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