A salad staple is the target of federal health investigators this summer. More than 8,000 Americans in over 40 states have been hit by a food-related illness – apparently from Mexican lettuce -- that can last weeks and cause severe cramps, nausea and serious diarrhea. No deaths have been reported. The cause is a single-cell parasite called cyclospora (pronounced sy-klo-SPOR-uh. (The illness has a tongue-twisting name: cyclosporiasis (sy-klo-spuh-RYE-uh-sis).

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said last week that shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms locations in Central Mexico is a possible source. The company on July 19 recalled iceberg lettuce sent to 27 states, including to Taco Bell.

Fresh produce grown outdoors can be contaminated by irrigation water, farm equipment, animals, insects and pollution. And because salad is eaten raw, biological agents that would be removed by cooking often remain. Cyclosporiasis is just a small part of a much larger food safety crisis linked to fresh produce," says Timothy Lytton, author of a 2019 book titled "Outbreak: Foodborne Illness and the Struggle for Food Safety." He adds: "To break the cycle of infection, the fresh produce industry has to step up its efforts to prevent contamination on farms and better sanitize food during processing." Cuts to federal food safety programs may have delayed recognition of the outbreak's extent. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last summer stopped tracking infections caused by cyclospora and five other common causes of foodborne illnesses. Now it monitors only two - salmonella and toxin-producing E. coli. State health departments still test for others, but are affected by reduced federal grants for monitoring, detecting and responding to food-caused illnesses.

It's always best to thoroughly rinse fresh vegetables and fruits. Amid the current outbreak, some experts suggest buying local produce – such as from a farmers market, though any produce could theoretically be contaminated if the water source is tainted. Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive for Michigan, recommends avoiding bagged lettuce or premade salad mixes. She said buying whole-head lettuce, removing the outer leaves and washing the rest is safest. Only iceberg lettuce - not Romaine and butter lettuce – has been linked to the parasite risk.

White House says: "The health and safety of the American people is the Administration’s utmost priority. USDA, HHS, FDA, and the CDC will continue to cooperate and maintain the highest vigilance to safeguard our food supply against pathogens." – Kush Desai, presidential spokesman

Author says: "The government needs to identify outbreaks more quickly so that contaminated food can be removed from store shelves before it reaches consumers." – Timothy Lytton, food safety researcher

Food monitor says: "A lot of the work that I and many, many, many, many other people have put into improving food safety over the past 20 or 30 years is just going away." -- Barbara Kowalcyk, Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security director at George Washington University