Salad Scare: Diarrhea Outbreak Cuts Bagged Greens Sales

Millions of American households have stopped buying pre-bagged salads this summer due to concerns over cyclosporiasis outbreaks. Purchases of these salads dropped by 10.7 percent between June and July, affecting 6.5 million households. The illness, linked to fresh produce, has sickened at least 27,000 people in 47 states, with Michigan reporting a significant number of cases and two deaths.

The nationwide outbreak has been traced to produce used or sold by restaurants and retailers across the eastern U.S. Iceberg lettuce from a facility in central Mexico was recalled in July after being linked to an outbreak at Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. This lettuce is currently the only produce identified in connection with recent outbreaks, though past infections have involved other items like raspberries and green onions.

Experts advise two main steps to stay safe: cooking food to 158 degrees Fahrenheit and washing produce thoroughly, though washing does not kill the parasite. Cases are challenging to track due to a two-week incubation period. Smaller outbreaks of unknown origin continue to emerge, with Missouri surpassing 2,000 cases.