{"id":5321,"date":"2026-07-24T14:09:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T14:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5321"},"modified":"2026-07-24T14:09:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T14:09:10","slug":"bay-area-growers-see-uptick-in-locally-grown-lettuce-sales-amid-cyclospora-outbreak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5321","title":{"rendered":"Bay Area growers see uptick in locally-grown lettuce sales amid cyclospora outbreak"},"content":{"rendered":"

Outbreaks of an intestinal bug which prompted recalls of bagged lettuce have sparked consumer interest in locally-sourced produce that\u2019s typically immune from such concerns, North Bay vegetable growers and agriculture and health officials say.<\/p>

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With the origins of multiple clusters of cyclosporiasis nationwide still shrouded in mystery, local farmers markets and growers say their customers are increasingly interested in buying from regional growers.<\/p>\n

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Kelly Smith, executive director of Agricultural Community Events Farmers Markets for Sonoma and Marin, said the local markets are seeing an uptick in consumers due to concerns about Cyclospora cayetanensis, a microscopic parasite that can cause watery diarrhea and intestinal illness.<\/p>\n

That enthusiasm was seen among some customers shopping on a cloudy Wednesday morning at Luther Burbank Center, including at the Sonoma-based business The Patch. Co-owner Fernando Calderon said that while overall business has been steady, the outbreak has driven people\u2019s interest in lettuce within the last week.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are more into the lettuce than other vegetables,\u201d Calderon said. \u201cWe have been selling way more lettuce.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some consumers there had already been shopping locally for years, and said they weren\u2019t worried about outbreaks affecting their produce for that reason. Santa Rosa resident Elham Rafla said she\u2019s been a loyal customer with Healdsburg-based Ridgeview Farm for years, because \u201cEverything\u2019s fresher and better quality, and it supports the local farmers.\u201d She added \u201cMost things are fresh produced and picked this morning \u2013 what could be better?\u201d<\/p>\n

Co-owner Renee Kiff agreed, saying she has never seen an outbreak of the virus at local farms in several decades at the farmer\u2019s market.<\/p>

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Cody Curtis, foreman at Sonoma-based Paul\u2019s Produce, said in an interview with The Press Democrat that people shopping at local markets can expect \u201cnatural accountability\u201d from small-scale growers that help avoid such outbreaks. He saw current concern over the outbreak as an opportunity to encourage conversations about food sourcing.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur customers aren\u2019t worried, and we don\u2019t have anything to really explain to them,\u201d Curtis said. \u201cBuying local is absolutely a safer and healthier choice. These outbreaks happen periodically and are a consequence of the consolidated industrial food system.\u201d<\/p>\n