Hundreds of produce industry professionals from across the supply chain participated today in a public webinar hosted by the California and Arizona Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) to learn what is currently known—and what remains unknown—about Cyclospora and the steps growers, shippers and buyers can take to reduce risk.
During the webinar, food safety expert Dr. Jennifer McEntire, founder of Food Safety Strategies and former Chief Food Safety and Regulatory Officer for the International Fresh Produce Association, emphasized three key messages:
Testing is not the answer. Current methods for detecting Cyclospora in fresh produce or water are technically challenging, have significant limitations and should not be relied upon as a preventive food safety strategy.
Focus on proven preventative practices. Buyers should verify that suppliers are fully complying with the mandatory food safety requirements of the California and Arizona Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, the FDA Produce Safety Rule, or equivalent science-based food safety standards in their country of origin.
More research is needed. While significant progress has been made in understanding Cyclospora, important questions remain regarding how the parasite enters the production environment and the most effective methods for preventing contamination.
“So much confusion and misinformation has been circulating about the current Cyclospora outbreak,” said California LGMA President and CEO Tim York, President. “Our goal was to bring together the best available science and provide the produce industry with practical, evidence-based information they can use today. Dr. McEntire is one of the nation’s leading experts on produce safety, and we wanted to make her expertise as widely available as possible.”
York noted that a recording of the webinar is available on the California and Arizona LGMA website for anyone unable to attend the live presentation.— Story contributed by the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement
The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state and local partners, are investigating a multistate outbreak of Cyclospora illnesses linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. The illnesses included in this outbreak are a subset of the Cyclospora illnesses identified nationwide.
Based on epidemiological information collected by CDC, a total of 1,644 people infected with Cyclospora and reporting exposure to Taco Bell have been reported by five states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from May 13 to July 13. There have been 94 hospitalizations and no deaths have been reported. Michigan analyzed food exposure details from 190 of the cases who reported eating at Taco Bell and shared these findings with CDC. Ingredient level analyses on meals eaten by these cases indicate that 90% of those interviewed reported eating iceberg lettuce.
FDA’s traceback investigation has identified convergence on a single supplier of iceberg lettuce from Mexico used by Taco Bell locations where sick people ate before becoming ill.
FDA is working directly with the identified supplier to determine if potentially contaminated shredded iceberg lettuce remains on the market. As part of this investigation, FDA and state partners have initiated collection of product samples for testing and analysis. Additionally, FDA has increased screening at the border for products implicated in the outbreak.
FDA is also working with Taco Bell and they have committed to stop using any lettuce from the supplier identified by FDA’s traceback investigation.
FDA and state partners are actively investigating the source and scope of the contamination. Because the investigation remains ongoing, additional implicated brands, restaurants, retailers or distribution channels may be identified as the investigation continues. This advisory will be updated promptly as new information becomes available.
FDA is aware that the case counts in this advisory may not match what is being reported by individual states. State data may include both probable and confirmed cases, while CDC and FDA include confirmed cases only. State case counts may also include initial case reports that have not yet been reported to CDC. As cases are confirmed, these numbers will continue to update.
Additionally, 2026 national surveillance numbers reported by the CDC track laboratory-confirmed cases in the U.S. overall, which include this outbreak as well as illnesses that are not a part of this outbreak. — Story contributed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Born from one of the industry’s greatest challenges, the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement has spent 20 years strengthening food safety through prevention, verification, and continuous improvement to build systems that support the production of safeleafy greens.
It doesn’t require a degree in ornithology, a lab test or even an app for most growers to determine whether bird poop near their crops presents a food safety risk. They just need to ask themselves a simple question: How big is it?
That’s according to a study from the University of California, Davis, published today in the Journal of Applied Ecology. The study said an informed, nuanced view of food-safety risks and wild birds could help growers avoid crop losses and manage farms for food safety, biodiversity conservation and crop production.
Since 2006, when an E. coli outbreak devastated the U.S. leafy greens industry, growers have been pressured to remove natural habitat to keep wildlife — and the foodborne pathogens they sometimes carry — from visiting crops. Growers are often advised not to harvest crops within a roughly three-foot radius of any wildlife feces, lest they risk failing a food safety audit or losing a buyer contract. Growers often cite such concerns as a barrier to implementing conservation actions they would otherwise consider taking on their farms.
“We wanted to find out the true risk of wild birds to food safety,” said lead author Austin Spence, a postdoctoral researcher in the UC Davis Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology. “Which birds have pathogens, which birds are spending time on farms, and if a bird has a pathogen, does that pathogen survive long in bird poop? Our findings indicate that we can co-manage our areas for both agriculture and conservation.”
Northern harrier on sprinkler in leafy-green field, coastal CA (image by Rose Albert, UC Davis)
Where pathogens persist
Through field and greenhouse experiments, bird surveys, point counts and fecal transects, the authors assessed food-safety risks from nearly 10,000 birds across 29 lettuce farms on California’s Central Coast. They spent hours following turkeys, bluebirds and other wild birds at the UC Davis Student Farm and nearby Putah Creek, collecting hundreds of fecal samples. They compared E. coli survival in bird droppings on lettuce, soil and plastic mulch to measure pathogen persistence.
After all of these efforts, they landed on a simple finding: Smaller poops from smaller birds carry very low risk of foodborne pathogens, which were rare in birds overall. If a bird were to become infected, pathogen survival depends heavily on the bird’s size.
“Birds that are large produce really big feces, and that’s where pathogens are more likely to survive,” said Spence. “Birds that are small have tiny feces, and the pathogens die off quickly. So farmers don’t have to know the species of bird it came from. They just need to know the size. If it’s the size of a quarter, don’t harvest near that. If it’s a tiny white speck, it’s very low risk and probably fine.”
Loggerhead shrike in a cabbage field with farmworker in background (Image by Rose Albert, UC Davis)
Balancing conservation, crop yields, and food safety
Beyond fecal size, what the birds pooped on — be it the crop, soil or plastic — made a difference for pathogen survival. In the study, E. coli survived longer on lettuce itself than on soil or plastic mulch.
Fortunately, about 90% of birds observed on the farms were small and tended to poop mostly on soil, where pathogens perish quickly. By avoiding no-harvest buffers when food-safety risks are low, growers of leafy greens could harvest about 10% more of their fields.
“Birds generally present really low food-safety risks,” said senior author Daniel Karp, a UC Davis professor in the Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology. “The industry has been concerned about birds for a while. But pathogenic E. coli and Salmonella are vanishingly rare in wild, farmland birds. And we now know E. coli tends to die off quickly in most bird poop.”
The study opens up new strategies for growers to better balance conservation and food-safety risks. For example, growers could erect nest boxes to attract small, beneficial insect-eating birds, like bluebirds and swallows, that help control pests without risking food safety.
The work also contributes to a growing body of research that suggests growers do not need to remove habitat to improve food safety.
“There have been no studies to date that suggest habitat removal improves food safety,” Karp said. “Habitat around farms is actually likely to favor the small, insect-eating birds that are unlikely to carry pathogens. Studies like ours are giving farmers science-based permission to conserve habitat — and many species of wild birds — on their farms again.”
The study’s additional co-authors are Jeffery McGarvey and SangIn Lee at the USDA Agricultural Research Service, Olivia Smith at Michigan State University, Elissa Olimpi at Conservation Science Partners, and undergraduates Wentao Yang and Meirun Zhang at UC Davis.
The study was funded through the Center for Produce Safety, the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. — By Kat Kerlin, UC Davis
Western Growers to Present Patricio with 2018 Award of Honor on October 30
Western Growers will honor Stephen (Steve) Patricio, who’s visionary leadership has advanced the agricultural industry by leaps and bounds, with the 2018 Award of Honor. The Award of Honor is Western Growers’ highest recognition of industry achievement and is given to individuals who have contributed extensively to the agricultural community.
“Steve has been a tireless advocate for agriculture, and his ability to turn some of the most tumultuous challenges that our industry has faced over the past few decades into opportunities is unmatched,” said Tom Nassif, president and CEO of Western Growers. “He has already left a tremendous legacy as someone who shoulders the responsibility of igniting change that advances the industry as a whole.”
Patricio is being recognized for his immeasurable leadership and contribution to the agricultural industry, making significant advancements in food safety and the protection of public health. Steve led the creation of the first-ever mandatory food safety compliance program for the California cantaloupe industry, as well as helped raise millions of dollars to fund research geared toward preventing foodborne illness. He also played an integral role in the establishment of the California and Arizona Leafy Greens Marketing Agreements, which today have become the model for produce safety and accountability.
“When you look at the success of California agriculture, Steve is a true representative of why the ag community is as successful as it is today,” said Bonnie Fernandez-Fenaroli, executive director of the Center for Produce Safety. “He truly embodies passion and proactivity, and his commitment to food safety to benefit both the consumer and industry is unlike any other.”
Patricio’s tenacity does not just stop at food safety. Patricio has spent countless hours throughout his 45-year tenure in the industry advocating for a sustainable supply of water for farmers to grow the food that feeds the state, nation and world. He has taken every opportunity, as he did when he was asked to join former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at the San Luis Reservoir, to call attention to the need for more surface water storage and stress the need for a comprehensive water solution. Furthermore, Patricio launched the industry’s first orientation program for agribusinesses that focused exclusively on water rights.
“Steve has one of the brightest minds and quickest wit in the industry,” said Bob Gray, past chairman of Western Growers and former president/CEO of California Ag Leadership Foundation. “He is a contributor of substance, and the expertise and competence he has brought regarding food safety and water has made major impacts for the industry.”
A Los Banos-native, Patricio is deeply involved in the community and industry. He has served as chairman for Western Growers, Center for Produce Safety, California Cantaloupe Advisory Board and Monrovia Nursery Company. He has also held leadership positions at Western Growers Assurance Trust, Monsanto Vegetable Seeds Advisory Council and the Produce Marketing Association.
“I was speechless when I found out I was selected for this award,” said Patricio. “I never thought that, in the end of it all, I would be a farmer or involved in this honorable and wonderful world that I am so engaged in today. I often tell youth that your career chooses you, and because I followed the path life decided to take me on, I am proud to say that I am a farmer. I couldn’t imagine being in any other industry.”
Patricio’s accomplishments and passion for shaping the ag industry will be recognized at the Award of Honor Dinner Gala at the Western Growers Annual Meeting on October 30, 2018, in Palm Desert, California. There, Patricio will be honored by his peers, friends and family. To attend the ceremony, visit http://www.wgannualmeeting.com/.
Western Growers will honor Stephen (Steve) Patricio, who’s visionary leadership has advanced the agricultural industry by leaps and bounds, with the 2018 Award of Honor. The Award of Honor is Western Growers’ highest recognition of industry achievement and is given to individuals who have contributed extensively to the agricultural community.