As the old saying goes, one bad apple can rot the whole bunch. In 2026, a more appropriate twist is that a bad batch of lettuce can lead to entire harvests being lost, not to mention the public health impacts. The recent Cyclospora outbreak, produced by a confluence of international and domestic policy and business decisions, has drastically impacted much of the US domestic produce market. From July 18 to August 8, US sales of iceberg lettuce fell 25.4%, and prepacked salads dipped 34.2%. Rather than impacting lettuce alone, the sales of a variety of vegetables and specialty crops have also dropped.

A driving factor in the significant drop in produce sales can be attributed to the murky nature of this specific recall. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – the government agency responsible for produce …

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