An Explosive Parasite Outbreak Has Americans Skipping Salad. The Lettuce Industry Is In Full Panic Mode.
Restaurants are swapping salads for cooked vegetables, and growers say the $3.79 billion industry could spin out of control.
Shoppers are letting go of lettuce, even though health officials haven’t confirmed it’s to blame for food poisoning across the nation, the Wall Street Journal reports. More than 30 states have reported parasitic cyclospora cases, with over 140 people hospitalized. The illness can cause explosive diarrhea and vomiting, and Michigan officials have pointed to lettuce and salad greens as a possible source. Nothing is confirmed yet, but that hasn’t stopped diners and businesses from steering clear.
One Michigan catering company is already fielding requests to swap wedding salads for cooked vegetables. Growers are feeling it too. “People are calling in and reducing orders across the board because they think consumers won’t buy fresh produce,” said Joelle Mosso of Western Growers.
Industry veterans are fearful of an infamous 2006 E. coli outbreak, which was traced to a single spinach farm. After that, spinach sales never fully recovered — a warning sign for how long this kind of reputational damage can linger, even for growers with no connection to the outbreak.
Shoppers are letting go of lettuce, even though health officials haven’t confirmed it’s to blame for food poisoning across the nation, the Wall Street Journal reports. More than 30 states have reported parasitic cyclospora cases, with over 140 people hospitalized. The illness can cause explosive diarrhea and vomiting, and Michigan officials have pointed to lettuce and salad greens as a possible source. Nothing is confirmed yet, but that hasn’t stopped diners and businesses from steering clear.
One Michigan catering company is already fielding requests to swap wedding salads for cooked vegetables. Growers are feeling it too. “People are calling in and reducing orders across the board because they think consumers won’t buy fresh produce,” said Joelle Mosso of Western Growers.
Industry veterans are fearful of an infamous 2006 E. coli outbreak, which was traced to a single spinach farm. After that, spinach sales never fully recovered — a warning sign for how long this kind of reputational damage can linger, even for growers with no connection to the outbreak.
