Growing lettuce outbreak means boost for Connecticut's family farms
Connecticut currently has 68 cases of Cyclospora, although it's unclear how many are related to the national lettuce outbreak.
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The growing Cyclospora lettuce outbreak has a surprising silver lining – more people are flocking to local farmers markets.
State health officials said it’s the easiest way to protect yourself.
FARM-TO-TABLE IN HOURS
At farmers markets, the time from farm-to-table can be as little as one day.
“In comparison, produce at the grocery store was likely picked weeks prior,” said Kaitlyn Kimball, who owns Sunset Farms in Naugatuck. “It was handled by dozens of people and it was transported internationally or across state lines.”
Kimball is also the agriculture director for CitySeed, which works with 30 family farms across the state to bring fresh food to inner-city New Haven.
“There’s also hundreds of farm stands in farms across the state that you can purchase product from that are growing it safely and want to get it to you as soon as possible,” she said.
The head of Connecticut’s Department of Public Health said that buying local is the easiest way to avoid the rapidly spreading illness.
“We are using local water to fertilize and feed crops that are growing and that are being sold,” said DPH Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani. “And we at the Department of Public Health have authority over making sure that water is safe.”
NATIONWIDE OUTBREAK
The Cyclospora outbreak began with lettuce sold at Taco Bell linked to Taylor Family Farms. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18,000 people are now sick in multiple states.
Connecticut now has 68 cases – far more than usual – but Juthani said it’s hard to know if they are related to the nationwide outbreak because the CDC lab is so backed up.
The Trump administration has slashed a quarter of the CDC staff and one-fifth of the Food and Drug Administration – including the agency's Food Emergency Response Network.
“We need to have those technical experts at CDC, at the FDA,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-New Haven). “And more to support state and local public health efforts.”
In the meantime, DPH is taking proactive steps.
“We have secret shoppers, particularly as it relates to meats and dairy products, that bring samples back to our state lab and actually test to ensure that those products are safe,” Juthani said.
