People should not stop eating vegetables because of the cyclosporiasis outbreak in Buncombe County and beyond, even as Michigan health officials warn against bagged lettuce and salad kits for now. Food safety experts say the smarter move is to be careful with produce, not to cut it out of the diet.
The warning matters because the outbreak has already sickened more than 4,300 people in Michigan, while Ohio has 364 cases, and public health officials this week said they suspect lettuce or bagged salad may be the source. Cyclosporiasis is caused by the parasite cyclospora, which can infect people when it is attached to fresh produce and then eaten, and watery diarrhea is the most common symptom, often described as frequent and sometimes explosive.
Francisco Diez-Gonzalez said he still does not think people should shy away from green vegetables. “I don’t think we’re at that point of shying away from eating your green vegetables,” he said, adding that “the benefits overall still outweigh the risks.” That advice lines up with Rosemary Trout, who said fresh produce is still “generally safe, delicious and nutrient-dense,” while giving a yellow light only to leafy greens and to fruits and vegetables with textured edible skins.
Michigan health officials are urging people to avoid bagged lettuce and salad kits and to buy whole heads of lettuce instead, but that does not mean all produce carries the same level of risk. The concern is that cyclospora can cling more easily to some foods and survive long enough to reach the plate, which is why experts draw a line between temporarily avoiding certain ready-to-eat salads and continuing to eat other vegetables and fruit with care.
That is also why washing still matters. Whole lettuce should be cleaned carefully, including removing outer leaves and rinsing between the leaves, and fresh produce should be washed thoroughly before it is served. The outbreak remains ongoing, and the unresolved question is the one public health officials have not answered yet: which specific product or producer is driving it.
For now, the clearest advice is simple. Skip the bagged salads that are under scrutiny, keep washing what you buy, and do not turn a parasite outbreak into a reason to avoid green vegetables altogether.
