by Wen Tsui
SALINAS, the United States, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Rows of romaine lettuce stretched across a field in California's Salinas Valley on Tuesday, their outer leaves yellowing, curling and drying while the plants remained rooted in the soil.
Efrain Mandujano of Empire Farm Labor Contractor moved between adjoining sections, inspecting one scheduled for harvest the following day. He said the rows beside it would remain unharvested because no orders had been received as a Salinas-based company is now at the center of a nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak.
Taylor Farms, a company headquartered in Salinas, is under investigation by U.S. federal health officials as a potential source of the multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak. As one of North America's largest suppliers of fresh-cut vegetables and ready-to-eat salads, the company operates an extensive network of production facilities across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Western Europe.
California's official tourism website calls the Salinas Valley the "Salad Bowl of the World," with California and Arizona producing nearly 90 percent of the country's lettuce.
A labor contractor and staff members at two produce companies interviewed by Xinhua described reduced orders, crops left standing and workers losing shifts.
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The parasite can spread through food or water contaminated with human feces.
From May 1 through July 27, the CDC recorded 6,707 laboratory-confirmed domestically acquired cases in 45 states, including 423 hospitalizations, while more than 11,500 additional reported cases remained under review. At least 1,947 cases were part of a nine-state outbreak linked to recalled iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico, sourced from central Mexico. People in that outbreak reported exposure at Taco Bell restaurants. The CDC said on Aug. 3 that it was aware of two related deaths in Michigan among people with underlying health conditions, while other clusters and illnesses nationwide remained under investigation.
"It's a bad season right now," Mandujano told Xinhua in the romaine field. "The outbreak has hit farmworkers hard. They are working only about half as much as they normally would during the season. Many workers are staying home because there is no work for them."
A marketing manager at a lettuce farm in Salinas, who asked not to be named, said his company's sales had fallen by about 50 percent. A staff member at another Salinas produce company separately reported a similar reduction in its lettuce business.
Interviews published by Capital Public Radio on July 31 described similar effects in other California farming regions. Dave Puglia, president and chief executive officer of Western Growers, said members had experienced a severe fall in demand even for crops with no link to the outbreak.
Ryan Jacobsen, chief executive officer of the Fresno County Farm Bureau, told the broadcaster that fields were going unharvested because there was no market for the crops. University of California, Davis produce-safety expert Trevor Suslow said consumer uncertainty was leading some people to avoid broad categories of produce.
The Salinas marketing manager attributed part of the decline to confusion over which products had been linked to illnesses. "What is really frustrating is the lack of clear communication between consumers and the government," he said. "People are confused. They blame lettuce for the illness, but the lettuce is clean."■
