In July, the Food and Drug Administration found the microscopic parasite on fresh cilantro at a US distribution facility. In a follow-up investigation, the FDA found Cyclospora on fresh cilantro at a farm. The agency worked with state and local officials to embargo the cilantro.
“Although this is the first confirmed evidence of the presence of Cyclospora in domestic produce, FDA is currently unaware of illnesses associated with the product, and trace forward efforts do not indicate there are any connections between this domestic finding of contaminated cilantro and multistate outbreaks of Cyclospora illnesses investigated this spring and summer,” the agency reported.
Those Cyclospora outbreaks were linked to Del Monte vegetable-dip trays and salads made with Fresh Express chopped lettuce and carrots that were served at McDonald’s restaurants.
The special testing program also found Cyclospora on two samples of fresh samples from Mexico. The FDA refused entry for the shipments and is taking action to prevent contaminated cilantro from those firms from entering the US.
Foodsafetynews.com reports how from 1996 to 2015, the FDA reported nine outbreaks linked to basil, parsley, and cilantro. Those outbreaks caused at least 2,699 illnesses and 84 hospitalizations. Four of the outbreaks were linked to basil, three to cilantro, and two to parsley.
