Cyclosporiasis, otherwise known as the “explosive diarrhea” parasite, has continued to make headlines this week, as thousands across the United States—mostly in Michigan—are expected to have been infected.
Given that lettuce is a likely culprit, people may finally feel like they have a good reason to opt for a burger (sans lettuce) instead of a giant bowl of leafy greens.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said at least 7,000 cases have been confirmed or are probable since May 1. Cases have been seen in at least 34 states.
Natasha Bagdasarian, the Michigan health department’s chief medical executive, said, per PBS NewsHour, that after conducting more than 1,000 patient interviews, the department suspects lettuce is what’s making people sick. Bagdasarian said, “early information has shown lettuce as a common product that regularly comes up during the investigation.”
Importantly, no specific restaurant chain, supplier, or brand has been blamed for the outbreak.
However, experts are advising that—especially in hot spots like Michigan, New York, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia—it might be best to skip lettuce and salad for the time being.
“It’s probably a good idea to avoid bagged lettuce products and bagged salad products for now,” Dr. Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, told CNN. “And if those are desired . . . rewash them at home, even if they come pre-washed, because the actual source of the outbreak is not yet known.”
How are chains responding?
This week, the Detroit Free Press reported that Taco Bell had quietly removed some ingredients, such as leafy greens and fresh salsas, from its menu at certain locations. And a handful of other establishments—like Dipisa’s Pizza, in Stevensville, Michigan, and the Green Table in Florida, among others—have taken similar actions.
While some restaurants are being cautious, notably silent have been the big salad chains, like Chopt, Sweetgreen, and SaladWorks, whose entire menus are pretty much made up of items that are heavy on the lettuce. None of the big so-called “slop bowl” chains have issued public statements regarding the cyclosporiasis outbreak.
Fast Company reached out to the aforementioned chains but didn’t hear back by the time of publication.
Are people avoiding salad chains?
There is some minor evidence to suggest that people are exercising caution around their salad intake, at least in Michigan salad joints.
Street Beet, a vegan restaurant in Detroit, told CNN this week that around a quarter of guests have been asking for no lettuce. Likewise, it said sales were down by about $3,000 on average for this time of year.
However, in New York, salads are still a hot summer order. According to the same CNN report, a Brooklyn Sweetgreen location said it hadn’t noticed slumping sales at all.
Still, shares of Sweetgreen (NYSE: SG) are down more than 22% over the last five days. Yum Brands (NYSE: YUM), parent company of Taco Bell, has seen its stock fall by more than 7% over the same period.
On social media, the salad “ick” showed up when Sweetgreen teased a salad based on a Love Island contestant on X and commenters responded by bringing up the parasitic outbreak.
“Sorry, can’t eat salad this week,” one commenter wrote, while another said “not with this damn parasite boo.”
With any luck, the outbreak will be under control soon enough. But in the meantime, it seems that avoiding the crunchy green stuff, or at the very least, being extra choosy about where it comes from, is the safest bet. Judging by how the public is responding, it seems many are already heeding that advice.