Cyclospora outbreak raises food safety concerns, writer shares personal dilemma
7 reported2 unconfirmed
A first-person account published by The Guardian describes the writer’s personal struggle with dietary choices amid a cyclospora outbreak in the United States. The writer states that cyclospora has infested an unknown amount of food, causing thousands to suffer gastrointestinal distress. The parasite may spread through human feces entering irrigation systems due to poor worker hygiene, and it cannot be killed through usual agricultural sanitation processes. The writer notes that the FDA is scrambling to find the contamination source and issued a false positive test against supplier Taylor Farms, which was later retracted. The writer also mentions that in 2025, a CDC program reduced the number of foodborne illnesses it tracked from six to two, dropping cyclosporiasis along with three others, leaving only salmonella and E coli. The writer expresses concern about food safety and the degradation of the food-production process.
What’s reported
Cyclospora has infested an unknown amount of food in the United States, causing thousands to suffer bowel issues.
The parasite may spread through human feces entering irrigation systems due to poor worker hygiene.
Cyclospora cannot be killed through usual agricultural sanitation processes.
The FDA issued a false positive test against supplier Taylor Farms, which was later retracted.
In 2025, a CDC program reduced the number of foodborne illnesses it tracked from six to two, dropping cyclosporiasis.
Only salmonella and E coli survived the CDC program’s purge.
The writer lost 40 pounds and lowered cholesterol and blood pressure after a nutritionist-recommended diet emphasizing leafy greens.
Open questions
The exact source of the cyclospora contamination remains unknown.
The number of people affected by the outbreak is not specified.
Key figures
Dave Schilling, Los Angeles-based writer and humorist (author of the article)
Taylor Farms, supplier named in a false positive FDA test
Sources: The Guardian
