- Food recalls are not increasing, but attention is. Dr. Stein notes the total annual number of recalls has not gone up — but high-profile outbreaks like the cyclospora cases linked to iceberg lettuce are drawing significant public attention this summer.
- You can't see contamination, but you can reduce your risk. There is no visible way to tell if produce is affected by cyclospora, but thoroughly washing hands, fruits, and vegetables — and cooking high-risk foods — can significantly lower the chance of infection.
- Know the symptoms and act quickly. Bloating, stomach cramps, and frequent watery diarrhea can be signs of cyclospora. Anyone experiencing these symptoms should contact a health care provider right away.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
OMAHA Neb. (KMTV) — Millions of Americans say they are paying extra attention to their grocery lists as food recalls continue to make headlines.
"It's so scary because we don't know what we are going to buy and definitely what we are going to eat," said Kobo Akatchi, a father of two.
Akatchi says not everyone hears about recalls in time.
"Not everybody watches the news so you buy your food you eat then you wake up and they say this food has been recalled, the produce has been recalled and you get sick," Akatchi said.
This summer, over 10,000 illnesses and 2 deaths have been linked to a cyclospora outbreak caused by iceberg lettuce in 17 states. Salmonella has been found in jalapeños and eggs, and E. coli has been found in frozen blueberries.
Dr. Sydney Stein with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services says summer is the busiest season for foodborne outbreaks, and multiple food recalls are not uncommon.
"We're not seeing an increase in total annual number of outbreaks or I should say recalls associated with food but I do think there is a lot of attention with these recalls especially with cyclospora cases associated with it and now is now getting a lot of public attention," Stein said.
While Stein says there are no visible ways to tell whether produce has been affected with cyclospora, there are still steps to reduce the risk of infection. Thoroughly washing hands, fruits, and vegetables is a good start.
"Cooking foods that are at high risk essentially takes away the risk of being affected. The heat will kill cyclospora and other pathogens," Stein said.
I reached out to OPS and Gretna Public Schools, who both say their lunch menus have not been affected by the recalls.
Gretna Public Schools added that the majority of their produce is domestically sourced and that they provide staff with additional training on proper produce handling, washing, and preparation.
Stein says symptoms like bloating, stomach cramps, and frequent watery diarrhea could be signs of cyclospora and should be reported to a health care provider right away.
