I Eat Everything I Grow and I’m Not on the Toilet All Day: The Latest Foodborne Illness

I’m sure most of you have heard about the latest outbreak of foodborne illness that is spreading quickly across the country. The CDC identified the culprit as cyclospora, a parasite that causes bad diarrhea among other symptoms, and it’s most likely found in SALAD GREENS. Now, obviously, this is not good. Nobody should have to experience explosive diarrhea. However, it’s kind of good for my business. Forget the grocery store, buy local!

The salad greens in question are grown on large farms and are part of the national food supply chain. As we saw during COVID, the supply chain is fragile. When there’s one instance of improper washing and food handling, or a shortage of some raw material, the whole system goes down, but not locally produced food. It’s just my family and me. We grow, wash and pack everything.

This outbreak is another example of why buying local food and knowing who grows it is always better. If you have the money and the means to buy from a farmers market or join a CSA, then you should. Do you really want to buy a bag of salad mix from the grocery store and risk getting diarrhea? Of course not.

This outbreak is not the first and not the last. Remember E.Coli? Remember Mad Cow Disease? Remember when COVID messed up the food supply chain for everyone? I remember.

The CDC hasn’t yet confirmed the source of the outbreak or how it entered the food supply chain, so we should all pay attention. Does the CDC still have funding for this?

It’s important to remember that small farms and farmers' markets are not the source. It’s the large farms and big-box grocery stores. Not all salad mix is the same.

I predict that in response to this outbreak, in the next few months, farmers markets and buying local will be “having a moment.” But buying local does not need “a moment”,

It’s a choice you can make anytime and every time. So come to Silver Spring Farmers Market this Saturday, 9-1, where I’ll be selling vegetables that definitely don’t have weird parasites because I eat everything I grow, and I’m not on the toilet all day.