Multistate outbreak of Cyclospora, an infection linked to consumption of bagged salads, has infected over 600 people in the United States. According to federal officials, the infection is linked to recalled batches of salad mixes by Fresh Express production facility located in Illinois.
The salads mixes contained red cabbage, iceberg lettuce and carrots and other products by Fresh Express. The first few cases of infections were reported between May and this month across 11 US states including Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
“The FDA, along with CDC and state and local partners continue to investigate a multistate outbreak of Cyclospora infections potentially linked to salad products that were made by Fresh Express containing iceberg lettuce, red cabbage, and carrots and that were sold in several regions of the United States. The investigation includes Fresh Express branded products as well as products made by Fresh Express for retail store brands sold at ALDI, Giant Eagle, Hy-Vee, Jewel-Osco, ShopRite, and Walmart. Investigators continue to look into whether other retail brands may be impacted,” the FDA said in a release.
The US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) has urged people to steer clear of salads.
“Consumers should not eat, and restaurants and retailers should not sell or serve any of the recalled products. These products may either be branded with the Fresh Express label, or they may be branded with a number of retail store brand labels. The recalled retail store brands are ALDI Little Salad Bar, Giant Eagle, Hy-Vee, Jewel-Osco Signature Farms, ShopRite Wholesome Pantry, and Walmart Marketside,” the FDA stated.
Cyclospora, a microscopic parasite, affects the intestinal tract and causes diarrhoea that can last for over a month. A person may start showing the symptoms nearly a week after consuming contaminated food or water.
This comes at a time when the United States is battling the Covid-19 pandemic. With over 4 million coronavirus infections till date, the US tops the global coronavirus tally followed by Brazil and India.
