California lettuce growers discard crops as cyclosporiasis outbreak depresses sales

A cyclosporiasis outbreak, now affecting nearly 2,000 people across nine states, has been tied to iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico and recalled by Taylor Farms. In response, growers such as Larry Cox of Coastline Family Farms in the Salinas Valley have discarded about 300,000 pounds of romaine hearts, citing demoralising market conditions. Retail and restaurant demand for fresh lettuce fell 8.7% in July, amounting to a loss of more than 7.6 million pounds compared with the previous year, according to NielsenIQ data.

Industry voices, including Joelle Mosso of Western Growers and Max Teplitski of the International Fresh Produce Association, note that similar outbreaks can depress sales for years. The reduced demand has cut farmworker jobs and left growers scrambling to salvage remaining produce while coping with a steep revenue decline of 20-30%.