Cyclospora outbreak leaves consumers guessing which foods are safe

Consumers worried about a growing outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a diarrheal illness caused by the cyclospora parasite, are turning to social media for advice on what foods to avoid as public health officials have yet to identify the source.

The illness can cause long-lasting bouts of explosive diarrhea leading to severe dehydration, particularly in young children, older adults and people who are immunocompromised. Public health experts say it is difficult to dispense safety advice because key details about the outbreak remain unknown, leaving the public largely flying blind when it comes to appropriate health precautions.

"This isn't a problem consumers can solve," said Dr. Celine Gounder, CBS News medical correspondent and editor-at-large for Public Health at KFF Health News. "We basically have to revert to what you'd tell someone traveling to a developing country: Don't eat fresh produce that isn't cooked and can't be peeled."

The lack of definitive information has fueled widespread speculation online, with some social media users naming specific grocery stores, restaurants or food producers they believe are responsible for the outbreak. 

"Anyone who is sick with cyclospora, what state are you in and have you narrowed down what you ate that may have caused it?" one social media user wrote in a post that received more than 1,300 responses.

Gounder said the absence of an official recall or confirmed source has created fertile ground for online speculation, adding that she cautions against drawing such conclusions before investigators identify the source.

"No recall has been issued for this outbreak," Gounder added. "And a lot of the viral content treats this as gross-out material, explosive diarrhea, played for shock value."

On July 13, the state of Michigan, with some 2,600 cases, issued some guidance, saying that "current results point to lettuce or salad greens as a potential source for this outbreak, although other food items cannot be completely ruled out." The statement didn't point to any specific producer or retailer, but urged consumers to purchase whole heads of lettuce rather than pre-washed bags of greens. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

Taco Bell removes some ingredients

On Tuesday, Taco Bell told CBS News that it has "voluntarily and temporarily removed limited ingredients at select restaurants as a precautionary measure." Federal and local health officials are investigating whether illnesses reported by some customers are connected to the broader outbreak, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.

Taco Bell told CBS News that public health officials haven't confirmed a link to its restaurants or any specific ingredient, supplier, restaurant or retailer.

"Until the culprit is found, we really can't put the blame on a certain farm or processing company," Dr. Nuwan Gunawardhana, an infectious disease expert at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, told CBS News. 

Optional cyclospora tracking

Some public health experts say staffing reductions and changes to disease surveillance may have made it more difficult to quickly identify the source of the outbreak.

The outbreak comes about one year after the CDC scaled back monitoring of cyclospora. Before July 2025, the CDC mandated the reporting of cyclosporiasis through FoodNet, a network that tracked laboratory-confirmed infections from cyclospora,  Dr. Omer Awan, a physician and senior public health contributor for Forbes, told CBS News.

"Our surveillance systems have been hindered to a large extent because of many cuts we've seen from the federal government," Awan said.

Many of the CDC employees laid off last year worked on disease outbreaks like the current one, reducing the agency's ability to identify and contain foodborne illnesses, he said.

"Now it's become optional to report [cyclospora], so our surveillance systems have been hindered, and it's hard to know what the source is," he said.

In the absence of specific product recalls, here is how health experts say people can avoid contracting the disease. 

Advice on food safety

Because investigators haven't identified a specific contaminated product, health experts say the safest approach is to follow general food safety precautions.

Michigan health officials noted that previous cyclosporiasis outbreaks have been linked to:

• Bagged salad mixes and kits
• Fresh cilantro 
• Fresh basil
• Raspberries
• Snow peas
• Green onions or scallions

People who want to be especially cautious may choose to avoid those foods until investigators identify the source of the current outbreak.

Handwashing is also essential, according to Dr. Jessica Justman, an infectious disease and internal medicine specialist at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. 

"People should step up their hand washing with soap and water, particularly before handling any food, preparing any food and eating," she said. 

Produce should be rinsed thoroughly before consumption, she added. 

Heating fresh produce to 70 degrees Celsius or 158 degrees Fahrenheit is the best way to eliminate the parasite, experts told CBS News. 

"The best way to avoid ingesting it is to cook your food," Dr. Gunawardhana said. He added that brushing or scrubbing vegetables can also help get rid of it. "But it's also known to be extremely adherent to surfaces, so it won't protect you 100%."

Edited by Aimee Picchi