Cyclospora concerns draw more customers to DC region’s farmers and farmers markets
Concerns over a Cyclospora parasite outbreak linked to shredded lettuce have led more consumers in the D.C. area to purchase produce from local farmers and markets. Food safety experts and local farmers are promoting direct-to-consumer sales as a safer alternative to grocery store chains.
Why it matters
Foodborne illness outbreaks significantly influence consumer behavior and highlight the growing trend toward local food supply chains as a safety measure.
Growing concerns over the cyclospora parasite are spurring more food shoppers to buy local.
That means farmers like Nicole Reese, the founder of Kinship Gardens in Beltsville, Maryland, are seeing more customers.
“When you know where your food comes from, then you don’t have to worry,” Reese told WTOP. “When it comes to the parasite, if you get your food local, then you don’t have to worry.”
The microscopic parasite can cause cyclosporiasis, which commonly causes watery and sometimes explosive diarrhea.
A record number of cases have been reported in more than 30 states, some hit harder than others.
In five states — Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia — the outbreak has been traced to shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell . The Food and Drug Administration is working with the supplier to determine if more potentially contaminated lettuce remains on the market, the CDC said.
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