By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-08-07 03:51:55 | Updated at 2026-08-07 04:28:52
50 minutes ago
A Taylor Farms facility in Salinas, Calif., on July 17, 2026. Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty Images
Michigan residents can begin eating lettuce and salad greens, state health officials said Aug. 6, after weeks of increased caution amid a major cyclosporiasis outbreak that has caused more than 12,000 people in the state to fall ill.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS)
reportedthat both new case reports and
diarrhea-relatedemergency room visits are on the decline. The department is therefore ending its broad recommendation that people avoid bagged salad mixes.
“Since the start of this outbreak, MDHHS has remained committed to providing timely, transparent information and clear recommendations to Michigan residents,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive. “As new data has emerged, our guidance has evolved to reflect the best available evidence, helping ensure that prevention recommendations are accurate, actionable and responsive to the changing situation.”
The state, which has been the
epicenter of the outbreak, has recorded 12,485 cases of cyclosporiasis since June. Most exposures seem to have taken place in late June and early July, as officials said that people generally start feeling symptoms about seven days after exposure, though symptoms can take as long as 14 days to appear. The majority of contaminated produce is likely no longer available for people to buy or eat, according to the department.
Residents should follow
routine food-safety guidancefor handling produce, including lettuce and salad greens. MDHHS is still requesting that people avoid recalled iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico by Taylor Fresh Foods, which was recalled in mid-July because of possible cyclospora contamination.
The department will report
outbreak dataweekly on Thursday. Officials said they will continue to monitor the situation closely and will alert Michigan families if conditions shift or if it is suspected that contaminated products have again entered the food supply.
In June, at the beginning of the outbreak, Bagdasarian said: “We recommend Michiganders contact their healthcare provider if they experience sudden, ongoing diarrhea and reach out to their local health department if additional members of their family are suffering from the same symptoms.”
According to the latest state figures, 279 of the reported cases involved hospitalization. Two deaths have been tied to the
multistate outbreak. Both individuals had considerable underlying health conditions that may have been affected by the infection and resulting dehydration. Both became ill before the voluntary recall of the iceberg lettuce was initiated.
