Is Lettuce Still Safe to Eat? What Experts Say After a Major Recall

A company called Taylor Farms de Mexico recently recalled shredded iceberg lettuce tied to a large outbreak of a sickness called cyclosporiasis. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the recall its most serious label, called a Class I recall. That label scared a lot of people who wondered if all lettuce was now dangerous to eat. Food safety experts say there is no reason to avoid lettuce in general — only the specific recalled product was the problem.

Since May 1 of this year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) counted more than 17,000 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis across the country. That is a big jump compared to last year, when only about 1,180 cases were confirmed in the same time period. More than 11,000 of this year's illnesses, plus hundreds of hospitalizations, were linked to Taylor Farms shredded iceberg lettuce. Sadly, two people in Michigan died after getting infected with the parasite.

Cyclosporiasis is an illness caused by a tiny parasite called Cyclospora cayetanensis. People can get sick by eating food or drinking water that has been contaminated with the parasite. In the United States, outbreaks have most often been connected to raw fruits and vegetables, especially leafy greens. The illness is usually not life-threatening, but it can cause serious stomach problems and lead to dehydration in some people.

The FDA said it is confident that all of the recalled lettuce has been removed from stores and restaurants. Taylor Farms voluntarily pulled all iceberg lettuce from central Mexico out of the U.S. market on July 17. The recalled products had best-by dates no later than August 3, so they should not be on shelves anymore. Experts point out that the number of new cases dropped sharply after the recall happened.

Kalmia Kniel, a food scientist and professor at the University of Delaware, explained that a Class I recall is given any time a food product might cause serious harm or death. She said many people were confused because the Class I label was announced weeks after the recall had already started. She stressed that this was always a Class I recall from the very beginning. 'There is no known or documented reason now for consumers to avoid lettuce at this time,' she told Newsweek.

Professor Keith Schneider from the University of Florida agreed that consumers should not be afraid of all lettuce. He noted that investigators found no food sample that actually tested positive for the cyclospora parasite. He also pointed out that only shredded iceberg lettuce from central Mexico was connected to the outbreak. 'Lettuce from California, lettuce from Florida, lettuce from Central America, none of that has been implicated,' Schneider said.

Schneider also explained that cyclospora outbreaks happen every summer to some degree. Reporting an illness and confirming it in a lab can take weeks, so the case numbers we see are often behind what is actually happening. Some of the newly counted cases might even be from separate, unrelated clusters. Still, he said consumers should not treat all lettuce as dangerous.

Food safety attorney Jason Reese pointed out something surprising: today, more E. coli outbreaks come from leafy vegetables than from undercooked meat. Many people think salads are always the safest choice, but that is not always true. Reese recommends buying whole heads of lettuce instead of pre-cut, bagged versions. He also advises checking the FDA and CDC websites for recall notices before eating bagged produce.

The main symptoms of cyclosporiasis include watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, bloating, loss of appetite, weight loss, and extreme tiredness. Symptoms usually start about a week after a person eats or drinks something contaminated. They can last from a few days to more than a month if the illness is not treated. One frustrating thing about this infection is that symptoms can seem to go away and then come back days or weeks later.

Certain foods are safer when it comes to cyclospora. Vegetables with thick peels, like avocados, are generally safer because you remove the outer layer before eating. Cooking vegetables also kills the parasite, so cooked spinach, squash, or green beans are safer options. It is important to know that simply washing produce does not fully remove cyclospora — the parasite is very hard to rinse away.

Experts agree that the FDA's Class I label is about how serious the recalled product was, not a warning to stop eating lettuce altogether. 'There are no cases linked to bagged leafy green products at this time,' Professor Kniel said. With the recalled lettuce off the shelves, experts say people can keep eating lettuce as long as they stay alert to future recalls and food safety alerts.