California lettuce growers skip harvest amid cyclospora outbreak

Key Points:

• A nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to a Mexican facility under California-based Taylor Farms has caused a major decline in lettuce demand, severely impacting California growers like Larry Cox who have had to discard large quantities of lettuce.
• The outbreak has affected at least 1,947 people across nine states, causing consumers to avoid lettuce and leading to significant drops in foot traffic and sales at salad-heavy chains such as Taco Bell and Chopt.
• In July, fresh lettuce sales fell by 8.7%, amounting to over 7.6 million pounds lost compared to the previous year, with many growers plowing crops back into the soil due to diminished demand.
• The crisis has resulted in a 20% to 30% decrease in sales for some suppliers, job cuts for farmworkers, and ongoing challenges for the industry, which experts warn could see prolonged effects similar to past outbreaks like the 2006 E. coli incident.
• Some restaurant chains are attempting to boost sales through promotions on lettuce-free menu items, but growers remain demoralized and uncertain about the future as they continue harvesting crops that often go to waste.