Recently, the FDA has made claims about cyclospora, lettuce and “explosive diarrhea”. The only thing more explosive about the potential side effect of cyclospora is the back-and-forth claims about the product that is supposedly infected by the parasite.
The FDA said last week thattheparasitescausingthe illness were traced from Taco Bell iceberg lettuce in five states. Then, the next day, they said that the specific lettuce originated from Taylor Farms in Central Mexico. This company sells lettuce and salad kits to Walmart, Target, Whole Foods and regional markets across the country.
Whileconsumersweretrying to figure out a new place to purchase their lettuce, the FDA recalled the recall on Taylor Farms lettuce. They sent out a release that the lettuce that tested for cyclospora was a false positive and that there actually haven’t been any positive samples of cyclospora found.
One might question how the FDA could have got a false positive while testing for cyclospora. It is relatively simple. According to experts, it’s difficult to test for cyclospora in foods because there is such a low number of eggs in the sample to create a real positive and the test might pick up on “noise” or DNA from other microbes that are like the cyclospora parasites.
This new yo-yo of info has consumers scratching their heads and making them wonder if lettuce is safe to eat again.
The FDA said to not eat the recalled lettuce from Taylor Farms. Despite the false positive, the recalled product that was distributed overatwo-weekperiodacross 27 states, that it still might make someone sick.
“FDA’s traceback investigation andoutbreakdatacontinue toconvergeonshredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms locations in central Mexico,” the agency said.
Consumersshouldkeepan eye out on the brand of lettuce that their favorite eating placeuses.TheFDAsaidthat if it’s a restaurant, then more than likely, they use Taylor Farms lettuce. The company sells lettuce to Sysco, the largest US food distributor. This, in turn, means that the lettuce might be in restaurants, delis, schools, sports venues and other institutions.
The best way for salad eaters to avoid contracting cyclospora is to choose whole lettuce over pre-cut. Bagged salad mixes combine products from multiple farms, making cross contamination possible.
Discard the outer leaves since they tend to contain dirt and contaminants. Be sure to wash the lettuce thoroughly. Don’tusecommercial produce washes because the leaves can absorb the chemicals.