LOS ANGELES, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. lettuce prices fell 16.4 percent in July from June on a seasonally adjusted basis, the largest one-month decline on record, as a Cyclospora outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce from central Mexico weakened consumer demand, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday.
Lettuce is included in the bureau's fruits and vegetables category, whose overall price index fell 0.1 percent in July. Despite the monthly drop, lettuce prices remained 7.5 percent above a year earlier.
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by the Cyclospora parasite, which can spread through contaminated food or water, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Retail data also pointed to weaker demand. Forbes reported Sunday, citing NielsenIQ data, that fresh-lettuce unit sales fell 9 percent in the week ending July 18 from the previous week, while dollar sales of prepackaged salads dropped 14 percent in the four weeks ending July 25 from a year earlier.
The impact has extended to restaurants. Sweetgreen, a major U.S. salad and fresh-food chain, said last week that the outbreak had reduced demand for fresh prepared foods since mid-July. It now expects same-store sales to decline 7 to 8 percent this year, compared with its previous forecast of a 2 to 4 percent decline.
Salad and Go, a smaller salad chain, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Aug. 4 and closed its remaining 70 restaurants the following day. The company said the outbreak had further weakened consumer confidence, adding to existing pressures including sustained weak demand, rising costs and difficulties stemming from earlier expansion.
The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration have linked the multistate outbreak to iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico and recalled by Taylor Farms de Mexico on July 17.
As of Tuesday, the CDC had received reports of 13,895 laboratory-confirmed domestically acquired cases since May 1, including 740 hospitalizations and two deaths.
The CDC said it was investigating multiple clusters and expected reported case numbers to rise further, noting that it can take several weeks for illnesses to be reported and classified. ■