Experts Urge Produce Eating During Cyclospora Surge That Sickened Thousands and Hospitalized Hundreds
Updated
Updated · Everyday Health · Aug 3
Experts Urge Produce Eating During Cyclospora Surge That Sickened Thousands and Hospitalized Hundreds
2 articles · Updated · Everyday Health · Aug 3
Summary
Infectious-disease doctors say Americans should keep eating fruits and vegetables during the 2026 Cyclospora outbreak, but shift toward lower-risk choices rather than abandon produce altogether.
Whole heads of lettuce are preferred over bagged or pre-cut greens because mixed, processed leaves can combine multiple farms and create more chances for contamination; washing helps but may not fully remove the parasite.
Restaurant salads draw the most caution because diners often cannot verify sourcing or recall compliance, while local or U.S.-grown produce is seen as safer since no U.S. farm has been tied to this outbreak.
Cooking greens and other vegetables is the clearest risk-reduction step because heat kills Cyclospora, and experts say immunocompromised, pregnant, older, and very young people should take the most conservative approach.
Case risk still varies by state, so experts advise checking CDC and state health updates and returning to normal salad habits only after case counts fall or the contaminated source is fully removed.