FDA Backs Fresh Produce Safety as Cyclospora Outbreak Tops 9,400 Cases
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 14
FDA Backs Fresh Produce Safety as Cyclospora Outbreak Tops 9,400 Cases
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 14
Summary
Kyle Diamantas, the FDA’s acting commissioner, said Americans should feel confident eating fresh produce, including leafy greens, as the cyclospora outbreak shows signs of easing.
More than 9,400 confirmed cases, about 400 hospitalizations and two deaths have been tied to contaminated iceberg lettuce grown in Mexico and supplied by Taylor Farms across 17 states.
Daniel Weinberger of Yale said fewer cyclospora tests are coming back positive nationwide and fewer people are seeking care for diarrhea, suggesting the worst may be over even as older cases are still being added.
Food-safety fears have already changed behavior: 40% of nearly 2,200 U.S. adults in a late-July CBS poll said they were eating less produce, and almost half reported little to no confidence in the FDA.
The reassurance comes after a summer of food-borne illness that also included a salmonella outbreak linked to jalapeños, which sickened at least 345 people in 27 states.