The number of cases of cyclosporiasis in Arkansas is slowing, with fewer than 10 cases reported since the beginning of September, according to the state Department of Health. A total of 290 cases of foodborne illness were reported this year. A record high cases of Cyclospora in Oklahoma reached above 500 and in Missouri over 2,000. While nationally, some 18,000 cases were reported from May 1 to Aug. 31, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That outbreak was tied to a recall of contaminated lettuce from manufacturer Taylor Farms, but several other recalls of eggs, alfalfa and jalapenos linked to salmonella and E. coli from the Food and Drug Administration has put the country's food safety measures in doubt.
Kristen Gibson is director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Arkansas and says despite record numbers, food safety measures in the U.S. are extremely strict.
"We do have a really safe food supply here, and we do not get sick all the time. So if we as consumers are able to understand that, then you can safely go and buy the food that you want to eat. And if jalapenos aren't available right now, that's okay. Try a serrano pepper, I don't know. And then go back to your jalapenos. Right. I mean, it's a temporary thing."
But she hopes this moment will make consumers more informed about where their food comes from.
"But you can maybe say, 'Okay, I'm going to buy a locally sourced lettuce,' because it's not coming from the region where, in this instance, Cyclospora is endemic. So I would say you can just become a more informed consumer and make different choices."
Gibson says buying products that are locally sourced and seasonal and practicing good hygiene are ways to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses.
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