(WKYT) – A Cyclospora outbreak now affecting nine states, including Kentucky, is prompting local school nutrition departments to reassess their produce sourcing and menu offerings.
Cyclospora is a parasite that causes Cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal illness that can include vomiting and diarrhea lasting for weeks.
The Food and Drug Administration has linked the outbreak to Taylor Farms’ iceberg lettuce from Mexico.
Montgomery County taking a wait-and-see approach
Montgomery County School District Nutrition Director Sandy Jones said feeding 4,500 students means food-borne illness prevention is always a priority. She said the district’s produce is largely American-sourced, meaning Taylor Farms lettuce from Mexico is not in use in their kitchens.
Jones said the district already has contingency plans in place and is monitoring guidance from the CDC and FDA.
“When something like that hits the airwaves and more information comes out about it, we already have a backup plan in place,” Jones said.
Jones said the district will continue following CDC-recommended food handling practices while watching for any updates that could require menu changes.
“My viewpoint on it is we’re still gonna continue doing what we’re doing. We will wash in running water and scrub things with brushes, all of the things the CDC recommends and do the best that we can with that until we find if it is coming from — let’s say, apples — then we could pull apples off the menu immediately,” Jones said.
Jones added the district plans to use produce from local farmers this fall and is encouraging additional farmers interested in selling goods to the district to reach out.
Rowan County pulls lettuce and tomatoes from menu
In Rowan County, Assistant Food Service Director Jessica Kiser said her district has already made changes ahead of the school year.
“We decided to take lettuce and tomato off our menu for the beginning of the school year,” Kiser said.
Kiser said the district hopes to have alternative fresh produce procured by the first week of school.
“We’ll be, hopefully, by that first week of school, have some procurement made of some fresh produce that we can use to replace that that we’d normally get commercially,” Kiser said.
Kiser said the district holds itself to a high standard when it comes to food safety, particularly for younger students.
“We have procedures and protocols that other restaurants don’t do, and we hold ourselves to a really high standard because we don’t want to ever take that chance of making our babies sick,” Kiser said.