Cyclospora salad sales fall as recall fears reshape summer menus
Reported declines at salad sellers followed a Cyclospora-linked lettuce recall, while the FDA limits its warning to specific recalled products.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Cyclospora salad sales have declined at some restaurant chains and in grocery stores after a multistate outbreak was linked to recalled iceberg lettuce. The figures point to a consumer pullback from prepared salads, even as the Food and Drug Administration’s recall applies to a defined group of lettuce products rather than all greens.
CNBC, citing NielsenIQ, reported that dollar sales of prepackaged salads fell 14% from a year earlier in the four weeks ending July 25. It also reported, citing Placer.ai, that visits to Chopt Creative Salad Co. dropped 24% on July 18, shortly after the FDA announced the outbreak.
Sweetgreen said concern about the outbreak cut roughly six percentage points from its July same-store sales, CNBC reported. Chipotle’s finance chief said the chain saw sales soften by about 200 basis points in the second half of July around the Cyclospora issue, according to CNBC.
The evidence does not show the same response everywhere. CNN reported in mid-July that several salad-focused and vegetable-forward restaurants in New York City had not yet seen an immediate sales decline.
Which lettuce products are included in the Cyclospora recall?
The FDA said Taylor Farms de Mexico began removing iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market on July 17 and initiated a recall the same day. The recall included specified Marketside iceberg-salad and shredded-lettuce products sold at Walmart, along with products supplied to food-service customers.
In its August 5 update, the FDA said it and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were investigating an ongoing outbreak linked to that recalled lettuce. The agency reported 6,358 illnesses in 15 states. FDA said cases may continue to be added after a recall because it can take up to six weeks to determine whether a person’s illness belongs to an outbreak.
CNBC reported that the FDA had pointed to iceberg lettuce processed at Taylor Farms’ central Mexico facility as the likely culprit. The FDA’s advisory specifically identifies Taco Bell locations that received recalled Taylor Farms de Mexico lettuce among affected restaurants; it does not say that every salad chain or leafy-green product is implicated.
What should consumers do?
Consumers, retailers and restaurants should discard recalled lettuce and clean and sanitize surfaces or containers it touched, according to the FDA outbreak advisory. The agency advises people with symptoms to contact a health-care provider, especially if they ate shredded iceberg lettuce in the previous two weeks.
Cyclospora is a parasite that can cause an intestinal infection called cyclosporiasis. The FDA lists diarrhea as a common symptom, along with appetite loss, weight loss, stomach cramps, bloating, gas, nausea and fatigue; some people have no symptoms.
The agency is also investigating other Cyclospora outbreaks for which no product has been identified, according to its active-investigations page. That distinction leaves consumers with a narrower recall notice than the wider shift in eating habits reported by restaurants and retailers.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.