In the wake of Cyclospora outbreaks this summer, the FDA has drafted a 10-point plan to mitigate and prevent future outbreaks.
The largest of the outbreaks this summer sickened almost 13,000 people, hospitalized 560 and killed two.
The outbreak was associated with iceberg lettuce from a Taylor Farms growing and processing operation in Central Mexico. The Food and Drug Administration conducted an inspection of the facility and contract growers’ operations and found Cyclospora in water from the processing facility and a drainage ditch on one of the growers’ property.
The agency plans to carry out the activities in its 10-point plan between now and the beginning of the 2027 growing season.
The activities the FDA plans to conduct in advance of the 2027 growing and harvesting season are focused on surveillance, outreach, and finding solutions to prevent Cyclospora contamination of fresh produce.
As part of these activities, the FDA will publish an Outbreak Investigation Report that will summarize the multi-state outbreak investigation and provide recommendations to help mitigate and prevent future outbreaks.
The agency also will increase surveillance of commodities historically associated with Cyclospora, conduct additional outreach and public engagement to help growers adopt practices that reduce the risk of Cyclospora contamination, and update its Cyclospora Prevention, Response and Research Action Plan to lay the groundwork for stronger prevention and response in future growing seasons.
The 10-point plant involves:
An Outbreak Investigation Report summarizing the investigation, the factors that may have contributed to contamination of the imported, shredded iceberg lettuce, and recommendations to prevent the next one.More surveillance of the commodities historically associated with Cyclospora, and of how they are produced, to understand contamination levels and which sampling strategies work.More outreach, at home and abroad, on current and prospective food safety requirements, naming the Produce Safety Rule, the Preventive Controls rule and the Food Traceability Rule.Laboratory capacity in Mexico to collect, analyze and process Cyclospora samples in-country, to cut the time to a final result.New data sources and tools, including weather events, to monitor the environmental conditions that may spread Cyclospora.Education and training for Mexico’s fresh produce industry, with Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture, COFEPRIS and SENASICA.Expert panels on worker health and hygiene, on water and wastewater monitoring, and on the gaps in growing and processing practices for certain produce.A single, replicable Cyclospora genotyping standard, developed with CDC, for the federal government, partner nations and industry.More Foreign Supplier Verification Program inspections, so that importers treat Cyclospora as a hazard in their hazard analyses and supplier verification.Lessons from the investigation and any root cause analysis folded into an updated Cyclospora Prevention, Response and Research Action Plan.
