Women's Health July 15, 2026 0 Comments

Raw or Cooked? The Shocking Truth About Vegetables You’ve Been Missing—Experts Reveal What’s REALLY Safe to Eat Now!

Ah, July — sun blazing, bucket lists getting conquered, and a chilled-out summer salad in hand. Sounds like the perfect vibe, right? But hold up, before you toss that leafy green goodness into your bowl without a second thought, there’s a curveball flying your way. A cyclosporiasis outbreak is making waves, and it’s got food safety experts raising their eyebrows—because nobody wants their summer fun sidelined by a parasite that turns your day into a not-so-glamorous sprint to the bathroom. With over a thousand confirmed cases and thousands more under the microscope, the question is: can you still trust your salad? Or is it time to rethink how you handle those greens? Buckle up, because we’re diving into what you really need to know to keep your summer meals safe without turning your fridge into a fortress. LEARN MORE

4 min read

July is the perfect time to lounge in the sun, cross things off your bucket list, and have a cool, refreshing summer salad. But with the recent cyclosporiasis outbreak, you might want to be wary of that third activity.

Cyclosporiasis, a disease characterized by explosive, watery diarrhea, is caused by ingesting food or water contaminated with oocysts of the unicellular parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis. The incubation period for cyclosporiasis is around a week, but some people may start feeling ill before then, says Amesh A. Adalja, MD, an adjunct assistant professor and infectious disease expert at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Despite rising case numbers, officials have not identified a specific food source.

The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show 1,645 confirmed domestic cases and another 5,100 reports that “require further analysis to confirm they meet the case definition.”

With all the headlines, it’s reasonable to side-eye some of the produce in your fridge. Is triple-washing things enough? Should you avoid berries altogether? Is it time to stir-fry that bagged salad you have? We spoke with experts about the food guidelines to keep in mind and how you can keep yourself safe.

Meet the experts: Amesh A. Adalja, MD, adjunct assistant professor and infectious disease expert at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Madeline A. DiLorenzo, MD, infectious disease specialist at NYU Langone Infectious Disease Associates.

Produce to Be Wary Of

Much of the current investigation centers on lettuce and salad greens in Michigan, Dr. Adalja says, noting that Taco Bell has voluntarily removed certain ingredients in certain restaurants as a precaution.

Information about the source of the current outbreak remains limited. But he adds that “prior outbreaks have been linked to foods such as raspberries, watercress, snap peas, and basil.”

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) also lists fresh cilantro and green onions as possible foods linked to Cyclospora given past outbreaks. They advise people to practice heightened food safety with fruits, vegetables, and cooking utensils at this time.

Keeping Yourself Safe

Unfortunately, while you should absolutely still thoroughly wash your hands and produce, this practice may not be enough to prevent cyclosporiasis. According to recent CDC guidance, “routine chemical disinfection or sanitization of food or water is unlikely to kill Cyclospora.” But there are still steps that you can take at home and at the grocery store to reduce the risk of infection.

For one, try to opt for a whole head of lettuce instead of bagged lettuce or salad, if you can. “Heads of lettuce are safer than bagged lettuce for now,” Dr. Adalja says. “Bags of lettuce might have lettuce from different places mixed together, increasing the chance of contamination.” The chopping process and bag itself are also a more conducive environment for microbial growth than, say, a head of lettuce, he says.

To safely prepare a head of lettuce, Dr. Adalja advises removing the outer leaves first, then thoroughly washing the inner leaves before consuming. Another option to reduce the risk of infection is to cook leafy greens first. Heat and cooking are effective methods for killing the Cyclospora parasite, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

You do not need to avoid all raw fruits and vegetables, Madeline A. DiLorenzo, MD, an infectious disease specialist at NYU Langone Infectious Disease Associates, says, but if you want to further reduce risk, make sure you’re washing your produce thoroughly—even if the product says pre-washed.

What to Keep in Mind

Tracing the source of the outbreak has been further complicated in part by recent budget cuts. The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) is a public health program that works in collaboration with agencies like the CDC, USDA, and FDA. Historically, FoodNet has actively surveilled Cyclospora since 1996, but it recently “stopped tracking Cyclospora with the rigor it once did last year,” says Dr. Adalja.

The network previously “required tracking of eight pathogens, including Cyclospora. However, due to budget constraints, FoodNet has only been conducting surveillance of two pathogens—E. coli and salmonella—since July 2025,” Dr. DiLorenzo says. That lack of active surveillance makes it more difficult to both detect the origins of an outbreak and prevent its spread. Since then, Cyclospora and other pathogens (including listeria) have become optional to report to FoodNet.

While there have been similar outbreaks in the past involving bagged lettuce, Dr. DiLorenzo points out that prior surveillance methods likely made it easier to identify outbreaks and trace contaminated foods more quickly.

That said, Dr. Adalja notes that local and state health department guidance is still the safest source for news and updates. In the meantime, the CDC notes that “investigators are collecting as much information as they can to solve this outbreak.”