IFPA Statement on the 2026 Cyclospora Outbreak

July 15, 2026

Attributable to Max Teplitski, Chief Science Officer, International Fresh Produce Association

"This is on track to be the largest Cyclospora outbreak in U.S. history. Michigan added more than 600 cases in a single day and is now above 3,300, with cases still accelerating. Our central concern is this: the response we are seeing will likely not slow this outbreak down or stop people from getting sick, nor is it intended to identify the root cause of the outbreak to prevent future outbreaks.

Here is why: social media and public health officials are rushing to place blame instead of identifying a source. Assigning blame is not the same as identifying a source.  Without evidence, like a contaminated product test, there is no way for anyone, including industry partners, to know how this happened and prevent it from happening again. A contaminated product has not been identified, even though samples were collected at least a week ago. Everything pointing to produce is based on recollections of patients, and even those recollections – based on what we hear – explain at most, only half of the current cases. I am concerned that a statement released by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services defies reputable science 1 2 3 and states that recreational waters are not a "recognized risk factor.”

We need to be candid about the limits of the data being used here. A parasite with a notoriously complex life cycle, Cyclospora can be hard to detect in the environment, and some of the methods for its detection have performed inconsistently 4. Genomic tools (such as those available for bacterial pathogens) are not as well developed for Cyclospora. Responses from questionnaires (also known as epidemiological surveys) are a valuable signal, but not the type of the robust evidence needed to restore consumer trust in foods, drinking, or recreational waters. Such questionnaires gather what patients recall about what they ate (often many days ago). Results of these surveys were not shared with industry to support a meaningful investigation into the causes of the outbreak. In an outbreak of this magnitude, we urge partnership between public health officials and the industry.

Trust of consumers in food, drinking water and its public health systems takes years to build. It can be destroyed with a statement that is not supported by robust data. Naming a product, grower, supplier, distributor, or restaurant without evidence (such as a contaminated food sample) undermines such trust and puts thousands of jobs in jeopardy and does nothing to stop an on-going outbreak or prevent the next one.

IFPA has long being a champion of end-to-end traceability in the fresh produce industry, and IFPA and our members are on the record against continued delays with the implementation of the Traceability Rule. IFPA has offered technological solutions that will bring the entire supply chain into traceability compliance. Further, we repeat our offer to the federal and state agencies for earnest bi-directional sharing of the information that can help bring this outbreak to a meaningful closure. Take us up on this offer!

IFPA Statement on the 2026 Cyclospora Outbreak

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