FDA chief: Cyclospora 'effectively removed from the market'

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is assuring Americans that they should feel confident eating fresh produce again, seeking to ease concerns over the nation’s food supply after a cyclospora outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce spread across more than a dozen states.

“We have the safest food supply in the world,” acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas said in a Tuesday interview with CNBC. “Americans should feel confident in eating fresh produce including leafy greens at this point.”

Diamantas added that his agency “remains confident that all iceberg lettuce related to the cyclospora outbreak has been effectively removed from the market” since California-based vegetable producer Taylor Farms voluntarily recalled products linked to the outbreak on July 17.

The Department of Health and Human Services echoed that message Tuesday, stating in a social media post, “Cyclospora: contained, American food: safe.”

The reassurances follow weeks of concern over what is considered to be the largest outbreak of the “explosive” diarrhea-causing parasite, which has sickened thousands across the country and was linked to two deaths in Michigan.

The outbreak was first identified in July among people who ate shredded lettuce at Taco Bell restaurants. Investigators traced the illnesses to iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms and sourced from central Mexico.

As of Aug. 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that there have been 13,895 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis since May 1. There have been more than 10,455 unconfirmed cases, according to the CDC.

The FDA and CDC are still investigating the outbreak, and officials have warned that the number of confirmed illnesses could continue to climb long after the recall because it can take as long as six weeks to determine whether an illness is connected to the outbreak.

Diamantas said the FDA is “very confident that the iceberg lettuce from central Mexico was the culprit” in the massive outbreak stretching across the Midwest.

Federal officials are simultaneously responding to a multistate salmonella outbreak tied to jalapeno peppers. Taylor Farms said Monday it was recalling multiple salsas, dips and guacamole products containing jalapenos from retailers across 26 states because of possible contamination.