Food safety concerns have Minnesotans taking a closer look at what they’re putting in their carts
Richard Reeve KSTP
2026-08-08 – KSTP 5 Eyewitness News – 1
A string of food safety concerns has some Minnesota shoppers taking a closer look at what they’re putting in their carts
From lettuce and jalapeños to eggs, there are several recent alerts consumers are watching
“We have been paying attention to that, and then trying to eat healthily as we can, while avoiding things we might be concerned about,” says Emily Forbes, from Wayzata
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Minnesota is among the 27 states affected by a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 345 people
It’s linked to jalapeños distributed to restaurant chains including Chipotle and Qdoba, which have removed jalapeños from their restaurants
Health officials say Minnesota is not among the fifteen states with cases of cyclosporiasis, linked to recalled lettuce grown in Mexico
Minnesota Department of Health officials say they’ve identified 98 cases of cyclosporiasis since May 1, but the agency has not found any cases in the state linked to the outbreak, stating there’s no evidence that contaminated food items were distributed in Minnesota
Investigators are continuing to probe how many could be linked to a common contaminated source
Federal officials subsequently said they are focused on Taylor Farms as the iceberg lettuce from Mexico
There are several reasons cyclospora outbreaks can be hard to investigate and contain medical director of the Washtenaw County and Livingston County health departments in Michigan
“It can take weeks between when someone is exposed to the parasite and when they come down with symptoms; it’s harder to analyze the parasite in laboratories; and it’s a lot of work to interview everyone who is sick and clearly identify common exposures,” said Marquez. “There have been staffing cuts at all levels of public health — federal, local, state — so there are less re
Cyclospora is a microscopic, spherical parasite that commonly causes watery diarrhea “with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” according to the CDC.
Outbreaks tend to occur most often in the late spring and summer
The illness, called cyclosporiasis, is less common than foodborne illnesses caused by other germs, including salmonella and E. coli
Many cyclospora cases are never linked to a specific food or other source
The worst year in the U.S. for infections was 2019, when about 4,700 illnesses were reported nationally, but this year has far surpassed that
Michigan alone has reported more than 12,000 — including two deaths. Adding in the other states that have reported cases, the national total stands at over 25,000
The FDA says it is tracking five separate ongoing cyclospora outbreaks, but no products have been linked to the other outbreaks
“That is giving me a little more pause,” Forbes says. “But there have been you know, cycles of outbreaks for a little while now, right, so you’re just a little bit more apprehensive each time you’re going to the store.”
MDH says the number of cases they’re seeing is normal, on par with what they’d expect during the summer season
The Health Department recommends safe food-handling practices, including washing hands and washing fresh produce to minimize the risk of illness
5 Eyewitness News checked with several stores in the metro
Most say they get their produce from regional suppliers in the Midwest
Good Grocer in Minneapolis says it inspects produce daily, and if it finds an issue, it throws it out
Still,shoppers say they’re checking labels and, in some cases, are avoiding bagged lettuce, at least for the time being
“I’m very careful because of the most recent reports,” notes Chris Jones, from Minneapolis. “I feel it’s going to take a bit more caution, but that’s no reason to panic. I’ll get the head of lettuce— bag is not really an option right now.”
