A multi-state outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a parasitic illness causing severe diarrhoea, has been traced to iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico by supplier Taylor Farms, prompting a sharp drop in consumer demand for fresh greens. As a result, some American lettuce farmers have been forced to plough unsold crops back into the soil, highlighting the significant economic knock-on effects that food safety scares can have across the wider supply chain, even for producers unconnected to the contaminated batches.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded more than 1,600 cases of the illness across five Midwestern states. Taylor Farms has recalled affected product in 27 states and said it would halt lettuce imports from the implicated region of Mexico for the remainder of the current growing season, while the Food and Drug Administration continues its investigation into the source of the contamination.