Help! I Miss My Salad. Is It Safe to Eat Now?

No doubt we all have been worrying about the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak. With thousands sickened here in Michigan and two deaths, it has been a scary time. But, there is some good news.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) says we can now feel safer about eating our salad and greens since it seems hospital visits and reports of cyclospora are on the decline.

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The MDHHS said there have been 12,485 cases of cyclosporiasis in Michigan since June, but new cyclosporiasis case reports are slowing, including a downward trend in diarrhea-related emergency department visits.

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The facts were that if you were exposed to cyclosporiasis you would start to feel sick seven days after exposure, but symptoms can take up to 14 days to appear. It seemed that most exposures occurred in late June to early July.

 👇 BELOW: VEGETABLES TO STILL BE CAREFUL OF! 👇

So it appears logical that the majority of the contaminated produce is likely no longer available.

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Remember we were told to avoid bagged salad mixes during the Cyclospora outbreak  but that is no longer in effect. However, that doesn't mean we should just grab the lettuce, bagged salad, whatever and chow down. We need to be extra careful and make sure we're washing all our lettuce and greens. Buying whole leaf lettuce is still best. Discard the outer layers and wash the rest thoroughly.

Regarding herbs, be very careful because you don't know how many people have handled them. It is probably a better idea to buy those herbs at a farmers market, but still be sure to wash well.