WASHINGTON — Consumers may be wondering whether it’s safe to put iceberg lettuce back on the menu following a massive multistate Cyclospora outbreak linked to recalled lettuce. Federal health officials say the specific products involved in the recall should no longer be available for purchase, although the investigation into the outbreak remains active.
The outbreak was connected to iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico and supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico. The company voluntarily recalled affected lettuce in July after investigators linked it to illnesses across multiple states.
As of the FDA’s August 27 update, 11,458 illnesses across 20 states had been associated with the outbreak. The agency said most illnesses began before the July 17 recall.
The recall included certain Marketside iceberg salad and shredded lettuce products sold at select Walmart stores, along with lettuce distributed to restaurants and other food-service customers. The affected products carried best-by dates ranging from July 18 through August 3, meaning those products should now be well beyond their shelf life.
On August 28, the FDA emphasized that it is confident the recalled lettuce is no longer on the market. The agency classified the recall as Class I because of the seriousness and scale of the outbreak, but officials stressed that the classification does not mean the recall was expanded or that a new batch of lettuce has been recalled.
That means shoppers do not need to avoid all lettuce. The warning applies to the specific recalled products, rather than every brand or type of lettuce currently being sold.
Health officials are still investigating how the contamination occurred. Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that can cause an intestinal illness known as cyclosporiasis. Common symptoms include diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite and weight loss.
Consumers should continue practicing normal food-safety precautions, including washing fresh produce, keeping pre-cut or packaged produce refrigerated and preventing cross-contamination in the kitchen. Anyone experiencing symptoms consistent with Cyclospora infection should contact a healthcare provider, particularly if they ate shredded iceberg lettuce before becoming sick.
So while the investigation isn’t over, federal officials say the recalled iceberg lettuce itself should no longer be sitting on grocery store shelves or being served in restaurants.
(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
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