What Are Experts Saying about Cyclospora?

Food safety experts recommend consumers follow recall guidance and proven safe-handling practices without unnecessarily avoiding nutritious fruits and vegetables during the Cyclospora outbreak.

By Hilary Thesmar, PhD, RDN, Chief Science Officer and SVP Food and Product Safety, FMI

As public attention remains focused on the ongoing Cyclospora outbreak, consumers are understandably asking important questions: Is fresh produce still safe? Can washing eliminate the parasite? Should people avoid certain foods altogether?

Fortunately, amid the headlines, a number of respected physicians and food scientists have been helping answer those questions with evidence — not speculation. Their message is remarkably consistent: understand the facts, follow proven food safety practices and avoid letting misinformation drive food choices.

Below are several expert perspectives that reinforce what food safety professionals have long known about Cyclospora and other foodborne illnesses. For more information, please consult FMI’s Cyclospora information page.

What Are They Saying?

Dr. Donald Schaffner, a professor of food microbiology in the department of food science at Rutgers University, hasn't changed his eating habits at all. “I had a salad last night and the night before, and I'll have a salad tonight,” he says. Rather than writing off an entire category of food because of an outbreak, he focuses on what's actually been recalled or linked to the current investigation. If a specific product is part of an active recall, he'll avoid it. Otherwise, “I don't worry about it,” he says. Time, What Food Safety Experts Are Eating During the Cyclospora Outbreak, July 22, 2026

Dr. Barbara Kowalcyk, director of the Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University, agrees that avoiding all lettuce isn't the answer. Instead, she encourages people to think about their own level of risk. She’s comfortable ordering a salad at a restaurant, even knowing it's likely made with bagged lettuce, because she's healthy and not immunocompromised. “I know the risks I'm taking,” she says. But she notes that the calculation is different for young children, pregnant women, older adults, and anyone with a weakened immune system, all of whom are more vulnerable to serious foodborne illness. Additionally, Dr. Kowalcyk recommends signing up for food recall alerts through FoodSafety.gov, which lets consumers receive notifications when new recalls are announced. She also suggests using your grocery store loyalty card. Many shoppers use fake phone numbers to avoid marketing emails, she says, but loyalty programs are increasingly how stores notify customers that they've purchased recalled products—or even print recall alerts directly on receipts. Time, What Food Safety Experts Are Eating During the Cyclospora Outbreak, July 22, 2026

Tamika D. Sims, MS, PhD, Head of Scientific and Communications Intelligence Architecture at S2B Group: “Food recalls exist precisely to close that gap between ’a product was potentially unsafe’ and ’it's now off the market,’” she explains. “Once that removal has happened, there's no ongoing science-based reason to avoid a specific menu item versus another.” Delish, Aug. 4, 2026

“Many people wondered whether we should stop eating foods that had been contaminated in past outbreaks, For example, raspberries. Here’s Dr. Craig W. Hedberg, PhD, Professor, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Minnesota. ‘I would try to follow the best recommendations coming out of public health. Until something gets identified, I wouldn’t be concerned about it,’ he said.” WGCU, July 30, 2026

For people who are worried about eating fruits and vegetables, Dr. Kalmia Kniel, Professor, Microbial Food Safety, University of Delaware, suggests cooking them as a way to kill the parasite. “If you are a consumer that’s very concerned– if your child is immunocompromised — don’t take away the fruits and vegetables. But you can cook them. Cooking will kill this organism, will kill cyclospora,” she said. WGCU, July 30, 2026

Dr. Jennifer McEntire: “I think follow the news, make sure that, as public health investigators figure this out - and I'm reasonably confident, especially with these numbers that they will - that you are well aware of any advisories, any recommendations, any recall notices that are coming out. Until that happens, I think it's assessing where you live. Are you living in a hot spot? Should you take any special precautions? But for many of us throughout the United States, we're not in hot spots. And I think we shouldn't be overly anxious in changing our behavior avoiding foods that really are very healthy for us.” – Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, July 17, 2026

What Do Food Safety Experts Agree On?

One of the challenges during any foodborne illness outbreak is separating rapidly changing information from enduring scientific principles. While investigators continue tracing the source of contamination, the fundamentals of food safety remain unchanged. My advice to shoppers is to stay educated by paying attention to public health information, food recalls and by controlling what you can at home by following safe food handling practices, and eat your favorite foods with confidence.

FMI Backgrounder on Cyclospora