Fresh Produce Industry Marks Close of Cyclosporiasis Outbreak, Points to Next Steps in Detection and Traceability

Federal health officials today declared an end to the cyclosporiasis outbreak associated with shredded iceberg lettuce.

Cases and health response

The International Fresh Produce Association, which represents the entire fresh produce and floral supply chain, pointed to the close communication among FDA, CDC, and the industry over the past two months.

“This was a hard case.

Cyclospora usually takes about a week to make someone sick, so investigators were working weeks behind the contamination, with the product long gone.

Our teams stand ready to support and to work alongside the agencies, and we will keep at that work.

“With the outbreak being declared over, consumers need to eat fruits and vegetables at pre-outbreak levels and beyond.

Health investigation

“Seeing an official end to this outbreak is welcome news, and we are grateful to FDA and CDC for the care they brought to this investigation,” said Dr. Max Teplitski, IFPA chief science officer.

We will not rest until we identify the root cause of this outbreak so that the lessons we learn prevent another event.” Amid this outbreak, the association has continued to urge Congress and the administration to fully fund FDA’s food safety work, and it continues to support putting the Food Traceability Rule into effect without further delay.