Scared of Cyclospora, People Are Turning to Local Produce

The Trend: If you’ve noticed an uptick in traffic at your local farmers’ markets, you’re in good company. While sales of prepackaged salads have plummeted by 27% in response to the Cyclospora outbreak, small grocers like Oliver’s Produce, a family-owned farm in upstate New York, are experiencing sudden surges in demand for lettuce and other leafy greens — in the case of Oliver’s, demand has more than doubled.   

What People Are Saying: Broadly, people are frightened. Reuters reports that foot traffic at Taco Bell, which was linked to the cyclosporiasis outbreak, has fallen by more than 20% since mid-July. Panera Bread, Chopt, and Chipotle have also suffered significant drops in foot traffic. The CEO of Little Leaf Farms, a lettuce grower in the eastern U.S., said “The consumer has been motivated by fear.”

What to Know: Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by the bacterium Cyclospora. People can get infected when they consume food or water contaminated with human feces containing the bacterium; it causes diarrhea and other symptoms of gastrointestinal upset. Foods linked to the outbreak have been recalled, but it’s apparent that shoppers still fear infection and are taking their dollars elsewhere.