WASHINGTON (AP) The Food and Drug Administration is banning imports of some fresh cilantro from Puebla, Mexico, after a government investigation found human feces and toilet paper in growing fields there.
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The Texas Department of State Health Services has identified cilantro from the state of Puebla as a suspect vehicle in an ongoing outbreak (as of May 2015).
The FDA has announced a ban on imports of cilantro grown on certain farms in Mexico, as well as heightened scrutiny for Mexican-grown cilantro after a series of inspections uncovered sorely unsanitary practices on sites where the herb was being grown.
DSHS recommends washing fresh produce, though Cyclospora can be hard to wash off. Cooking will kill the parasite.
Some cilantro will be banned from entering the United States after human feces and toilet paper appeared in Mexican farms. It can last from a few days to more than a month, and even after the symptoms disappear, some people will suffer recurrent relapses.
“(Inspectors) observed objectionable conditions at eight of them, including all five of the firms linked through traceback to the U.S. illnesses”, according to the import alert.
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by consuming food or water contaminated with the cyclospora parasite.
Texas health officials also weighed on July 27, posting updated outbreak numbers showing 205 cyclosporiasis illnesses in the state this year. Texas health officials are investigating a cyclosporiasis outbreak this year that may be linked to cilantro from Puebla as well.
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In Puebla they found that some farms had no toilet or handwashing facilities for workers, while others had bathrooms but no running water, soap or paper towels. It is therefore subject to refusal of admission under Section 801(a)(3) of the Act. The seasonality of the previous C. cayetanensis outbreaks warrants detaining cilantro from the state of Puebla, Mexico during April 1 through August 31 of every year.
