While the cyclosporiasis outbreak causing fierce bouts of diarrhea has been leaving American consumers wary of grocery-bought produce, some farmers in Missouri have found the situation advantageous as shoppers look to locally-harvested goods.
Dave Thies, who runs Thies Farm & Greenhouses in Missouri, told KSDK that he’s been receiving numerous calls from prospective customers searching for safe lettuce.
“It seemed like this past weekend it kind of kicked in and we had a lot of calls, a lot of emails about local lettuce,” Thies told the outlet. “We ran out of lettuce this weekend and didn’t have time to go out and cut more. But we’re cutting some this morning, so we’ll have it for the next couple of days for sure.”
One customer of Neon Greens in St Louis told KSDK that she called the salad shop and hydroponic farm before coming in to make sure their lettuce was all locally produced.
“Absolutely. I am very concerned about the lettuce,” Tasha Wilson told the broadcaster. “I actually called them before I came in… just to make sure that they didn’t get any outside lettuce that would be contaminated.”
The shop’s owner, Josh Smith, said her call was not the only one he’d received.
“Yes, we have gotten some calls, and to be honest, I wouldn’t expect any less,” Smith said. “Our customers care so much about the food that they eat, and that’s why they have a relationship with us, and we have a relationship with them. It’s all about food transparency.”
Customers’ cause for concern is not overblown; cases of cyclosporiasis have been on the rise this week, with cases reported in more than 40 states.
While infections are rarely fatal, they can be uncomfortable and disruptive. In addition to diarrhea, symptoms also include vomiting and fever.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that approximately 400 cases reported across Michigan, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio are likely linked. There are more than 10,000 cases reported across the country.
Despite the rise in cases this week, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy has insisted that the cyclosporiasis outbreak is under control.
“We do have the outbreak under control,” he said during a Tuesday press conference. “We have done extensive forensics, epidemiological forensics and we have identified the source of the outbreak. We, and the companies that are involved, have implemented a recall.”
Last year, federal health officials in the Donald Trump administration scaled back the FoodNet program, which has been used for decades to track food poisoning infections across the U.S.
Under the new guidance from the Trump administration, tracking cyclosporiasis became optional, but the CDC has insisted the change did not make a difference to this year’s outbreak.
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