Francisco Diez-Gonzalez said people should not stop eating green vegetables as the cyclosporiasis outbreak in Buncombe County has renewed questions about salad and other fresh produce. Michigan health officials have said they suspect lettuce or bagged salad in the outbreak, while more than 4,300 people in Michigan have gotten sick.
The parasite cyclospora causes cyclosporiasis when it is attached to fresh produce and then eaten. Watery diarrhea is the most common symptom, and the guidance now points readers toward bagged lettuce and salad kits as the foods to avoid while keeping other fruits and vegetables on the table.
Francisco Diez-Gonzalez on green vegetables
Diez-Gonzalez, who directs the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia, said this week, “I don’t think we’re at that point of shying away from eating your green vegetables.” He added, “The benefits overall still outweigh the risks.”
His advice tracks with the practical response health readers need right now: do not treat every fruit and vegetable the same. The concern is tied to produce that can carry cyclospora into the mouth, not to a blanket warning against fresh food.
Michigan health department guidance
The Michigan health department is telling people to avoid bagged lettuce and salad kits and to buy whole heads of lettuce instead. That advice narrows the risk to specific products rather than to produce in general, which gives shoppers a way to keep eating vegetables without relying on the most exposed items.
Rosemary Trout, a food scientist at Drexel University, said leafy greens and fruits and vegetables with textured edible skins are more of a risk because the parasite can stay attached more easily. Over email, she said, “Fresh produce is still generally safe, delicious and nutrient-dense.”
Michigan and Ohio case counts
The outbreak has sickened more than 4,300 people in Michigan, and Ohio has 364 cases. Those numbers show why the advice is aimed at daily shopping choices, especially for people who reach for packaged salad products without knowing where the contamination began.
Investigators have been searching for the specific products behind the outbreak, but the source has not been identified. Until that changes, the safest move for shoppers is the one the Michigan health department has already given: skip bagged lettuce and salad kits, and keep eating other fruits and vegetables with basic food hygiene.
