Cyclospora outbreak in U.S. puts food safety practices in focus
The recent cyclospora outbreak in the United States has brought a lesser-known foodborne illness into the spotlight—and renewed attention to the importance of food safety practices in the fresh produce sector.
On July 17, U.S. health officials identified Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce grown in Mexico and served at Taco Bell locations across five states as a potential source of the outbreak.
Taylor Farms voluntarily recalled all iceberg lettuce sourced in central Mexico from the U.S. market. While no cases linked to the U.S. outbreak have been identified in Canada, the fresh produce industry has been watching closely.
“We’re still in contact with the Public Health Agency of Canada, and they are still confirming—as of the last time I spoke with them late last week—that they are seeing no outbreaks of cyclospora here in Canada,” says Jeff Hall, senior director of food safety and innovation at the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, which is hosting its first Food Safety Conference in Vancouver this September.
He adds that some CPMA members have said Taylor Farms provided letters to its Canadian customers confirming that the suspect product—iceberg lettuce from Mexico—was not sent to Canada.
“Ideally, [health officials] will get to the bottom of this, and we’ll see a significant decrease in the number of cases,” Hall says. “Then the work of trying to understand where this came from, how it happened and how to prevent it from happening again starts to take place.”
READ: Canada is not banning produce imports amid U.S. cyclosporiasis outbreak, CFIA says
What is cyclospora?
Cyclospora cayetanensis is a parasite that causes cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness spread through food or water contaminated by fecal matter. “The parasite is very resistant to chemicals like chlorine,” says Lawrence Goodridge, a professor in the department of food science at the University of Guelph and chair of the Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety. “So, if that water is then used to irrigate crops, and most times irrigation water is not chlorinated, then it can contaminate the produce.”
Unlike bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli, cyclospora doesn’t multiply on food. “Parasites are more like viruses. They just sit there. They cannot replicate unless they’re in their host,” says Goodridge. With cyclospora, humans are the only known host.
READ: Diarrhea-causing parasite infecting more than 1,200 in Michigan has not spread to Canada
An infected food handler can also contaminate fresh produce directly, Goodridge adds, especially if they haven’t practiced good hand hygiene. This could happen if they’re harvesting in the field and there’s a lack of toilet facilities or adequate handwashing facilities.
Siyun Wang, professor of food safety engineering at the University of British Columbia, notes that cyclospora can also be linked to food processing facilities. Food handlers with poor hand hygiene can introduce the pathogen to food products during sorting, trimming or packaging.
While cyclosporiasis is relatively uncommon in Canada, an average of 298 cases were reported annually between 2004 and 2024 through the Canadian Notifiable Disease Surveillance System. A common exposure among reported cases was identified as international travel, particularly travel to resorts in Mexico.
Although the U.S. outbreak hasn’t been linked to Canada, the situation provides an opportunity for fresh produce buyers and grocers to review their food safety practices and reinforce the protocols that help maintain the safety of fresh produce.
“While we’re not in a panic here, this is a good time to review your traceability procedures, make sure you understand and can quickly determine where the products that you’re importing are coming from,” says Hall.
Here are three key areas for buyers and grocers to focus on.
Follow through on employee training
The good news is food safety risks are generally well understood. “It’s usually not something new that we didn’t know. That means on paper, food safety programs are all in place. It’s all written down,” says Goodridge. “The problem is following those.”
That’s why proper employee training is essential. In grocery stores, where employee turnover can be high, Goodridge says this can be a challenge. For example, if a grocer doesn’t have a dedicated food safety person, a long-time employee might be tasked with training a new hire, he explains. Over time, important details can get lost and practices can break down.
“It’s like a game of telephone, where one person whispers something to somebody else, and then they whisper to the other person, and so on,” Goodridge says. “By the time it comes back, it’s altered.”
Even if a new hire is trained, they should be retrained periodically. “Yes, they were trained when they came in, but that was five years ago,” says Goodridge. “People forget you might need a refresher.”
READ: Food-safety tips fresh from the produce department
Review traceability and recall procedures
Businesses across the supply chain should review their traceability programs, says CPMA’s Hall. “Make sure you understand and can quickly determine where the products that you’re importing are coming from.”
The same applies to recall policies. “Make sure you have the ability to reach back through your supply chain to get the information you require, as well as internally,” he says. “If you are at the retail level, make sure you’ve got a system in place where you can reach back to your suppliers and that you’ve got a robust system to provide that information to your stores.”
In addition, a recall policy should be reviewed to see if it still aligns with the business.
“Things change in organizations and it’s important for things like a recall policy to be kept current,” Hall says.
Do a temperature check
Fresh produce coolers are another area to review. Goodridge notes that in busy grocery stores, cooler doors can be left open frequently as employees stock shelves, which can raise temperatures. “If it raises the temperature, now you’re getting into the range called the danger zone, between 4°C and 6°C, where bacteria will grow quite happily,” he says.
Refrigeration equipment in the produce department can also be a factor. “Open refrigerators may not be that good at maintaining the temperatures at the expected level,” says Wang. “Once the temperature goes up, it greatly facilitates the growth and survival of pathogens.”
As the cyclospora investigation continues—and in any outbreak situation—Hall encourages the sector to rely on official sources such as the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, as well as relevant federal agencies in the U.S.
“Rumours travel fast… and they’re usually wrong,” says Hall. “It’s important to be able to go back to the official authorities and take what they’re saying as the lead.”
