The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) decision to classify recalled iceberg lettuce linked to a nationwide cyclospora outbreak as a Class I recall, its most serious category, may leave many consumers wondering whether lettuce is still safe to put on the dinner table. The classification, announced Thursday, applies to products recalled by Taylor Farms de Mexico after federal investigators linked shredded iceberg lettuce to a multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis. The FDA defines a Class I recall as a stoppage in which there is reasonable probability that exposure to a product could cause serious adverse health consequences or death.
Since May 1, there have been 17,180 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis in the U.S., the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. In comparison, 1,180 cases were confirmed from May 1 to August 31 of last year.
Of this year's confirmed cases, 11,458 illnesses and hundreds of hospitalizations across 20 states have been linked to Taylor Farms shredded iceberg lettuce, the CDC said. Two people died in Michigan after contracting the parasite. For consumers, that has created an apparent contradiction: If the recall carries the FDA's strongest warning level, is lettuce still safe to eat?
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis. People become infected after consuming food or water contaminated with the parasite, typically through fresh produce that has been exposed to contaminated water during growing or processing. In the United States, outbreaks have most commonly been linked to fruits and vegetables that are eaten raw, including leafy greens.
The illness is not usually life-threatening, but it can cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms and may lead to dehydration or other complications in some patients. The FDA has said it remains confident that all recalled lettuce is now off the market. Food safety experts told Newsweek that, while the outbreak underscores the risks associated with raw produce, there is currently no evidence that consumers should avoid lettuce broadly.
"Anytime there is a recall of a product due to possible presence of microbiological hazards, like Salmonella, Cyclospora, Shiga-toxigenic E. coli, or others this is a Class I recall" Kalmia Kniel, food microbiologist and professor at the University of Delaware, told Newsweek. "A Class I recall is defined as the reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death." Kniel said consumers are often confused when they see headlines announcing a Class I classification weeks after a recall has already been issued. "The fact that this information regarding a Class I recall is coming after the fact that a recall has happened seems silly and completely unnecessary and is confusing to consumers," she said.
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