“We shouldn’t be eating lettuce right now anyway”

Five things we think you should know about the cyclospora parasite, aka the explosive diarrhea outbreak

Lettuce doesn’t have to look dirty to do you dirty. image credit: Shutterstock 

There’s something unfair about getting violently ill from eating lettuce (or raspberries or fresh herbs like cilantro). It’s not the fat back, not the peach cobbler, not the moonshine or Moscato. Vegetables. It’s almost like that episode of “The Good Place” where the characters decry how the simple act of buying a tomato can get you sent straight he— … er, the bad place.   

Unless you have been living under a rock or on your toilet these last few weeks, you know a parasite has made its way into our food system (again). Making certain produce risky to eat (again). Reports of cases across the country have been estimated from 2,500 to more than 11,000. Cases in Mississippi and other southern states are still small but growing every day.     To answer some questions and gain some clarity on the big picture, The Lighthouse food and farming expert, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) coordinator and Director of Community Impact Nekia “Mac” McDonald shared his insights on what’s really going on and how to stay safe(r) this recent food system collapse outbreak. Why it might be time to finally try a CSA (community supported agriculture) subscription. 

1. Yes, it comes from human poop.   Humans are the only known hosts of Cyclospora cayetanensis. An infected person sheds the parasite in their poop; the poop must make its way to our food. There are a few ways that can happen.   Surface water, used for crop irrigation, pesticide mixing or crop washing gets contaminated with untreated human sewage or runoff.

   
   

   Poor labor practices. Farms that don’t offer access to clean restroom and handwashing facilities or adequate breaks might force workers to relieve themselves directly in the fields, leading to direct contamination of soil or harvesting equipment.   Heavy rainfall or flooding human waste from nearby septic systems or poor sanitation infrastructure can make its way directly into crop fields.

2. Why lettuce? It’s especially vulnerable and like poop, the parasite is especially sticky. 

Whether you buy individual heads or bagged salads, there are so many ways poop-laced parasite water can find its way into lettuce. The folds of lettuce make it easy for the parasite to become trapped inside. Since lettuce is most often eaten raw, it’s less likely to get exposed to the level of heat that could kill the parasite.  That combined with the extra sticky nature of the parasite that doesn’t wash off easily shakes up to a contamination cocktail that can make you sick.    

3. When things go badly at big farms, it gets catastrophic pretty quickly. 

Lettuce from Taylor farms, a major producer of bagged salads and packaged produce, tested positive for cyclospora … until it was reported to be a false positive. While observers debate whether the positive is true or if White House visits and donations played a role in the FDA backing up and doing the James Brown, a larger truth looms. When things go badly at food giants, like a Taylor Farms, the entire food system feels it.     Not only do big farms like Taylor farms tend to supply food for bigger chains, like Taco Bell, they often stick their fingers in other parts of the food industry. Some expand outward, buying out competing farms. Others expand vertically, taking control of different steps outside of simply growing food. A lettuce farmer might start producing its own seeds, making its own fertilizer or raising its own breeding livestock instead of buying from outside suppliers. Of course it means more money for a farm, but for consumers, it makes avoiding companies contaminating the food supply that much more difficult.    

4. Who’s stopping this? Is anyone paying attention? Anyone?   Unfortunately, when it comes to our food safety, historically, agencies like the FDA rarely receive the political backing or authority to prevent a disaster. Congress has been reactive instead of pro-active, usually requiring us to pitch a fit over a crisis to trigger legislative action.  

More recently, and frighteningly, many of the watchdogs over our food safety have been defanged. In 2025, the Trump administration eliminated two key federal food safety advisory committees: the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) and National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI). 

5. Eat seasonal. Eat local.   Aside from advocating for the total reorganization of our food supply system, eating in season and eating local is the best protection right now. Small, local farmers are far less likely to rely on the dangerous, un-hygienic practices that got us into this sh— … er, mess in the first place.   

Moreover, many of the foods we’re told to avoid now, like lettuce, are out of season right now. That means growing lettuce for most places in the United States, takes several additional steps that can expose our food to contamination. We’d love it if you grew your own food. But if you can’t right now, buying from your local farmers, where you can ask questions about how your food is grown, is the next best thing.   

If you’re interested in taking the first step in your farm-to-table eating journey, reach out to us.