Black Farms Gain Support as Cyclospora Outbreak Sickens 22,000 in 47 States
Updated
Updated · Capital B · Aug 11
Black Farms Gain Support as Cyclospora Outbreak Sickens 22,000 in 47 States
3 articles · Updated · Capital B · Aug 11
Summary
Deep Roots CPS Farm in Charlotte says worried shoppers are increasingly buying directly from Black growers as the cyclospora outbreak tied partly to Mexican iceberg lettuce shakes confidence in grocery produce.
More than 22,000 cases, over 500 hospitalizations and at least two deaths have been reported since June, while experts say the parasite’s long incubation period and co-mingled produce supply chains make outbreaks hard to trace quickly.
Black farmers say the surge is exposing both their value and their limits: customers want trusted, culturally relevant food, but expansion is constrained by higher costs, labor shortages and reduced federal support for minority-owned and small farms.
The shift is part of a broader turn toward local food, with farmers markets and CSA subscriptions rising, even as public-health advocates warn that cuts to surveillance and staffing could weaken long-term food-safety monitoring.