The Illnesses Are Not in the Plant. They Are in the Water.

Cyclospora cayetanensis lives only in people. It reaches a lettuce field exactly one way, which is human waste getting into the irrigation water or onto the ground. That is not something lettuce does. It is something we do upstream of lettuce, and the record says so every time. FDA’s advisory changed this month from an onsite inspection at the processing plant to onsite inspections at iceberg lettuce growers in Mexico, which is the agency saying in public that the problem sits upstream of the plant. The 2018 romaine outbreak was traced to an irrigation canal in the Yuma growing region. In 2020 FDA found Cyclospora in a canal serving an Indiana farm that supplied a salad processor, though the agency said its genetic typing could not establish that the canal parasite caused the illnesses. The same Guanajuato facility sat at the center of a Cyclospora outbreak in 2013, and FDA’s environmental assessment then told the firm to determine whether the parasite was a reasonably likely hazard in that growing region and to re-evaluate the wash step. Stop eating lettuce tomorrow and every one of those water sources is still there, still running onto something somebody eats.

The Washington Post Says We Should Stop Eating Lettuce. I Have Sued Lettuce Companies Since 2000, and I Still Think That Is the Wrong Answer. The Illnesses Are Not in the Plant. They Are in the Water. https://www.marlerblog.com/case-news/the-washington-post-says-we-should-stop-eating-lettuce-i-have-sued-lettuce-companies-since-2000-and-i-still-think-that-is-the-wrong-answer-the-illnesses-are-not-in-the-plant-they-are-in-the-water/

Lettuce think about this.

Salmonella Jalapeños – YUM

A Salmonella Jalapeño outbreak has sickened at least 345 people in 27 states, according to the CDC. Half of those people ate at Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants and QDOBA locations in seven states. The peppers were imported from Sinaloa Mexico and distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors. Salmonella Jalapeño Outbreak Sickens 345, Chipotle and QDOBAhttps://foodpoisoningbulletin.com/2026/salmonella-jalapeno-outbreak-sickens-345-chipotle-and-qdoba/

Spicy !

It’s Not Just the Lettuce

The North Carolina cyclospora outbreak is linked to parsley and cilantro, as well as lettuce, according to an update by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDHHS). While parsley and cilantro have been mentioned as possible vectors in this huge outbreak, this is the first time they have been linked to illnesses. North Carolina Cyclospora Outbreak Linked to Parsley and Cilantrohttps://foodpoisoningbulletin.com/2026/north-carolina-cyclospora-outbreak-linked-to-parsley-and-cilantro/

Cyclospora is different from other foodborne pathogens.  It comes from human waste and cannot be removed by washing (although that helps some) or killed by chlorine.  It can only be removed by microfiltration or killed by heat or, maybe, ultra-violet radiation.

It needs to prevented from getting into irrigation water.

Lettuce producers have known about the Cyclospora hazard for more than a decade.  They have not acted, and neither has the government. The Cyclospora outbreak: an everyone-is-at-fault system failure: “LettuceGate” https://www.foodpolitics.com/2026/07/the-cyclospora-outbreak-an-everyone-is-at-fault-system-failure/

Lessons Learned From a Lifetime of Cooking #14

I never knew there were so many different kinds of soy sauce.

Lesson #13 is : know your ingredients. This can be why a dish, despite following the recipe exactly, tastes better than yours.

6 Types of Soy Sauce Everyone Should Knowhttps://thewoksoflife.com/6-types-of-soy-sauce-everyone-should-know/

Memo to Self – Don’t be discouraged to learn there are Chinese Americans out there more Chinese than you who know their ingredients much better than you ever will. My favorite soy sauce is Thai. No wonder then why my Chinese dishes don’t taste Chinese.

Thai Soy Saucehttps://thewoksoflife.com/thai-soy-sauce/