IFPA Statement on the 2026 Cyclospora Outbreak, Updated July 19, 2026

July 19, 2026

Updated Statement from July 19, 2026 8:15 p.m. ET. Attributable to Max Teplitski, Chief Science Officer, International Fresh Produce Association.

Our first concern is for those affected by this Cyclospora outbreak and we all want to find its root cause.

The International Fresh Produce Association is committed to bringing the produce supply chain together with regulators and policy makers to learn and adapt from experience. Collectively, we want to reduce the odds of future food safety incidents, respond as quickly as possible if they occur, and minimize their impact on consumers. We will continue to monitor the rapidly evolving situation and work with all stakeholders to facilitate solutions.

Food safety is an ongoing effort and a shared responsibility along every step of the supply chain. That’s why IFPA is advocating for Congress and the Administration to strengthen FDA’s Human Foods Program, implement end-to-end traceability, promote better risk-based oversight, and secure resources for state produce safety and compliance programs.

Ultimately, the work of IFPA and the industry we represent is about bringing to the world safe and healthy fresh produce that people can enjoy with confidence.

Original Statement from 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, Updated July 19, 2026

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