MERIDIAN TWP. — Some local farmers markets, including Meridian Township’s, have seen an uptick in crowds and sales since an outbreak of diarrheal illness from cyclospora, commonly known as the poop parasite, struck Michigan in late June.
Tom Cary, manager of the Meridian Township Farmers Market, said some produce vendors are reporting spikes of 200%, 300% and 400% in sales and attendance was about 1,500, or double the week prior, at a recent Wednesday market.
Cary and some of his vendors said those new and old customers have a lot of questions about farming habits that include where vendors grow, how they grow, their water sources, food safety protocols, whether employees have to wash their hands, food safety training and more.
“They’re finding that there’s a tremendous amount of interest in people getting local produce,” Cary said. “They certainly did not anticipate this. Like any business, especially farming, you can’t turn on a dime.
“I think vendors are doing everything they can to start planting more lettuce or diverting it from other places or growing in different ways. To the degree that they can, they’re trying to respond. We have been very busy and that’s been a great thing. Our farmers are definitely appreciating that.”
Cary labeled the cyclospora problem a result of the retail food system that exists, where “convenience is a problem and it’s something that we’re going to continually face, because in order to be convenient, you have to big and abstract and distant.”
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is reporting 9,253 cases of cyclosporiasis, as of July 2. That included 205 cases in Clinton County, 315 in Eaton County and 698 in Ingham County. The state’s population is more than 10 million.
Overall, the infection has spread to about 70 counties in the state since the initial outbreak began in late June.
The source for the cyclosporiasis outbreak remains under investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration after a sample of Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce, served at Taco Bell restaurants, was a false positive, USA TODAY reported, However the Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce is not considered to be ruled out completely, and the company issued a nationwide voluntary recall on July 17.
In general, residents can reduce their risk of getting sick by avoiding foods that have been linked to the infection previously, such as bagged salad mixes or kits, fresh cilantro, fresh basil, raspberries, snow peas and green onions, according to the MDHHS.
There’s also the option of farmers markets, where buyers can ask questions of those growing the food they’re interested in buying.
Rebecca Titus of Titus Farms in the Leslie area said patrons seemed to be panic buying at the start of the outbreak. She’s had no problems fielding questions from her new and old customers.
“They need to wash their vegetables no matter where it comes from,” she reinforced. “We try our best to give you clean produce but there’s still always going to be dirt and things on it they should always try to wash off. But we’re doing the best on our end to make sure you get clean, safe food.”
She said she’s seen “a crazy increase” in sales and hopes customers will consider buying kale and cabbage since she expects to be out of lettuce this week.
“We are incredibly grateful for the support,” Titus said. “Although our sales are up, small farmers, by and large, still don’t make a livable wage. If this is something that you want to see in the future, people need to support it on an ongoing basis.”
Kevin Thomas of Thomas’ Natural Roots in Ionia County hauls his produce, mainly peppers and heirloom tomatoes, to several markets in the region.
He’s noticed the larger crowds and gamut of questions.
“For me, I am getting some uptick because of my early stuff,” he said. “I have seen a lot more people but because I’m not providing – mainly the greens is what everybody is wanting, the lettuce and all of that stuff, it hasn’t really affected me as much yet as far as sales go.”
To learn more about the region’s farmers markets, visit Lansing.org.
Contact editor Susan Vela at svela@lsj.com or 248-873-7044. Follow her on Twitter @susanvela.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Cyclospora bug driving up traffic at farmers markets in Lansing area
Reporting by Susan Vela, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Susan Vela, Lansing State Journal | USA TODAY Network
