What to Know About Cyclospora and Your Fresh Produce Deliveries

If you’re a little freaked out by the stomach bug news that’s been going around, I don’t blame you. When I first heard about Cyclospora—a parasite that’s making people sick in 34 states—my first response was “ick!” and a sudden urge to double-wash my hands. But then, the part of my brain that works with food safety took over. I went into problem-solving mode and started separating the facts from my feelings and assumptions. I thought I’d share those facts and my thought process with you here, just in case they’re helpful. I’ll start with the biggest question you might have.

Is Fresh Produce Safe to Eat Right Now?

Yes, I believe fresh produce is still safe to eat. People typically contract Cyclosporiasis from consuming food or water contaminated with the Cyclospora parasite. But Cyclospora makes 200–1,000 people sick every year, and we all go right on eating our fruits and veggies. This year’s case numbers are getting attention because they’re significantly higher than usual (1,645 as I write this, with more than 5,100 more cases still under analysis) and rising quickly.

I still feel safe eating fruits and veggies because we don’t know where this particular outbreak is coming from yet. In Michigan, the Department of Health and Human Services says its investigation is pointing to lettuce or salad greens as “a potential source” for the outbreak, but that hasn’t been confirmed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is still working on tracing it, and you can follow along for live updates. In the meantime, I’m happy to say that there haven’t been any reported cases of Cyclosporiasis related to The FruitGuys’ fresh produce deliveries.

What We’re Doing to Keep Your Food Safe

Our team works hard to make sure you can feel good about what you’re eating. All of our facilities are third-party audited for food safety, and we make sure that all of our farm partners have food safety programs too. You can learn more about how we’re keeping you safe in our food safety blog.

Easy Steps You Can Take to Prevent Cyclospora​

Since it’s unclear where the Cyclospora is coming from, the best thing you can do right now is wash your hands and your produce before you eat it (which we always recommend anyway!). You don’t need any special soaps or sanitizers for your fruits and vegetables. Just follow our food safety consultant’s guide to washing produce. The CDC also has tips for preventing Cyclosporiasis.

Stomach bugs are never fun, but at this point, there’s no need to change your snack routine. We’re keeping an eye on the situation and will let you know right away if the CDC issues a recall for an item we’ve delivered to you.

If you have any questions about our food safety practices in the meantime, just ask! You can reach out to customer service any time.