Is lettuce safe? Probably. Will outbreak spur change? Hopefully | Lisa Jarvis

Americans have recently viewed lettuce in salads and burgers as potential threats due to a cyclospora outbreak. This parasite, known for causing explosive diarrhea, sickened thousands of people and led to numerous hospitalizations by early August. While the current safety of lettuce is considered probable, there is hope that this significant health crisis will spur necessary changes in food safety protocols to prevent future outbreaks of the parasite within the produce supply chain.