Lettuce prices are falling amid the multistate outbreak of cyclospora, a tiny parasite that spreads through contaminated food or water and makes people sick with explosive diarrhea and other severe symptoms.
The consumer price index for lettuce dropped 16.4% in July from June, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. People are staying away from the leafy green.
The outbreak has been tied to Taylor Farms, a California-based company that issued a recall on July 17 of iceberg lettuce products from Taylor Farms de Mexico.
Federal health officials are still investigating the source of smaller case clusters. There are 23 cyclosporiasis cases in the county since the start of its latest outbreak on May 1, according to the Florida Department of Health’s
Aug. 15 update.
There are more than 15,700 confirmed cases in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. State health officials in Michigan said two people in the state died from the illness.
The recalled lettuce was sold to Taco Bell locations as well as to retail stores, restaurants and food-service customers. Taco Bell no longer uses lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico. Walmart pulled bags of recalled Marketside-brand lettuce products. Taylor Farms removed iceberg lettuce from central Mexico from the marketplace.
How many people are avoiding lettuce during the cyclospora outbreak?
A new survey suggests that the outbreak has scared more than one-fourth of U.S. households away from buying salads and fresh greens in July. In a Palm Beach Post poll of more than 600 people, 85% of them said they are avoiding eating lettuce because of the outbreak.
The research firm Numerator estimated that more than 26 million U.S. households stopped purchasing salads and fresh greens for a month ending in July 26.
"Consumers are pulling back on fresh produce, but our purchase data shows they’re not fully replacing it with canned or frozen alternatives, despite nearly half of shoppers saying they would," Numerator analyst Shawn Paustian told USA TODAY.
"That suggests many shoppers may simply be waiting for the outbreak to end — and points to a potential rebound, with 82% of those who stopped buying salad mixes and kits saying they plan to return once it’s contained.”
Some people on social media have said they are still enjoying lettuce and are actually hoping to catch cyclosporiasis. They call lettuce “the new ozempic,” which refers to the GLP-1 now often prescribed for weight loss.
Should people stop eating lettuce during the cyclospora outbreak?
It depends, according to Dr. Leslie Diaz, an infectious disease specialist at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center.
She advises that people stay away from pre-cut lettuce in packages and be cautious about eating lettuce from restaurants. If people want to eat it, she recommends that they buy a whole head of lettuce — and rinse it thoroughly for a couple of minutes before eating — instead.
“The packages are prepared by companies that may not have the same strict cleansing techniques that you might have if you buy the whole head,” Diaz said.
Still, there could be risks involved with cleaning lettuce at home. Cleaning it does not remove all organisms, but it would decrease how many there are, Diaz said. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends cooking produce to reach a temperature of at least 158 degrees before eating it.
Maya Washburn is a Trending News Reporter for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida-Network. Reach her at mwashburn@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Lettuce prices fall in cyclospora outbreak that hit Palm Beach County
