Two people in Michigan have died in connection to an outbreak of cyclospora cases linked to iceberg lettuce.
But health and agricultural experts in California say the state’s produce remains safe to eat and are urging people to do so.
Ryan Jacobsen heads the Farm Bureau in Fresno County, which is home to hundreds of crops including lettuce and other leafy greens.
“California now for almost two decades has been operating under the Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement," said Jacobsen. "That's where the industry stepped up and was arguably more proactive than any federal or state regulation —and they came up with protocols on the food safety side things... from the growing process, to the processing, to the store.”
The agreement was set up after a 2007 e-coli outbreak linked to fresh spinach that sickened 200 people in California, three of whom died.
Jacobsen says ongoing consumer concerns have hit local farms, with fields going unharvested because of a drop in market demand.