What Cyclosporiasis Says About Industrial Scale Food Systems

In case you missed it: there is a huge, nation-wide, outbreak of a rather nasty food-borne illness called cyclosporiasis. The illness causes violent diarrhea and can last for weeks. Thousands of people have become sick across many states. Health officials from state and federal government have traced the outbreak to lettuce from an industrial-scale lettuce farm: Taylor Farms. Taylor Farms is so large that it has many labels and sub brands. In fact, when writing this post they have even obfuscated which labels/sub brands they own making it difficult to know which stores and restaurants they serve. So what does that tell us about industrial scale agriculture?

First, it shows (again) how fragile the industrial food system is. Taylor farms corporate farm is so large that it contaminates SO much food that it gets tens of thousands of people sick. Not only that but it took weeks to months to trace back to the source. Worse yet, they’re so large that through having multiple labels and branding they make it difficult for consumers to know which lettuce is from them and which is not. That’s not transparency. That’s not food safety. That doesn’t have the best interests of consumers at heart. It’s only a matter of time before another outbreak happens and food becomes scarce.

Second, it shows how industrial farms always put profits over people. We hear about outbreaks every year. Avian flu, swine flu, romaine lettuce recalls, and so many more in recent memory. They all came from industrial scale farms where the only incentive for these corporations is profit. They don’t care about worker health. They don’t care about your health. They don’t care about soil health.

Third. Small scale farms can be the solution to food system fragility. When you buy lettuce from our farm you know the person growing the food. You can ask us questions about how it was grown, what our food safety practices are, if we’ve ever gotten anyone sick with our food (nope!) and so much more. There’s a level of trust that cannot be replicated in the industrial system.

Finally, consumers can and will find us when they need us. Let’s flip the script so that the industrial food system is the “backup” and the local producer is the first choice. We have seen a HUGE uptick in our lettuce sales in the past couple weeks. We’re consistently selling out at the farmers market and we’re bringing more lettuce than we’ve ever brought before. We know it’s because of this outbreak and while we are happy for the extra business there is a level of frustration that goes with it. Where were these customers before the outbreak happened? Why did they start with the industrial food and switch to us only when safety became a concern?

And let me end by thanking our existing customers, CSA members, farm friends and family. Those of you who we know by name and who ask how our kids are doing. You are ahead of the curve and understand why local food is important. You’re our MVPs and we appreciate you!

I’m very proud of the lettuce we grow!