Lettuce is safe to eat, says Mississippi epidemiologist, and food safety questions answered

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has posted a steady stream of food recalls, following a summer with historic rates of cyclospora-induced illnesses and several products with potential salmonella contamination. Mississippi Today talked to food safety experts to learn about top concerns, how food safety is addressed in Mississippi and how food systems are linked.

What are the active food recalls in Mississippi now?

Several active food recalls in Mississippi include some of Prime Line Distributor’s ready-to-eat pork products potentially contaminated with Listeria, Graziers raw milk cheeses from Sierra Nevada Cheese Company potentially contaminated with E. coli and raw meat products that were produced without federal inspection.

The recalls come in three classes, depending on the level of risk. Class I is for probable serious health risks, including death, such as E. coli or Listeria. Class II recalls have a remote chance of adverse health effects, and Class III recalls violate regulations but are unlikely to cause harm. 

Mississippians should know that recalls are very specific to certain brands, product names, use or freeze by dates and lot numbers, said Courtney Crist, a food safety specialist at the Mississippi State University. All information must match for a product to be considered part of the recall, she said, and one product being recalled does not mean every food of that category is unsafe. 

“Do not try to make a recalled food item safe,” she cautioned, recommending that consumers properly dispose of their purchases or return them for a refund. 

Should I be concerned about cyclospora in Mississippi?

Asked if Mississippians should be concerned about lettuce on their grocery shelves, State Epidemiologist Renia Dotson offered a succinct answer. 

“No, I don’t,” she said, while recommending people wash or scrub their fruits and vegetables as a general safety practice.   

On Sept. 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared an end to the multi-state cyclospora outbreak. Officials linked nearly 13,000 confirmed cases to this outbreak, the largest in modern U.S. history. 

Mississippi’s cyclospora cases, however, were not linked to the multi-state outbreak, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health. On July 15, the department temporarily made cyclosporasis a reportable disease in order to “do our part” and provide more data for the CDC investigation, Dotson said. Mississippi was previously one of three states, along with Idaho and Pennsylvania, that did not require clinicians or laboratories to report positive cases to the state Health Department. Dotson said Mississippi has not previously seen large numbers of the illness and that mandated reporting began, not due to increased cyclospora cases, but to contribute to the national database. 

On Aug. 22, Mississippi had 33 confirmed cases of cyclospora, Dotson said. For each confirmed case, nurses and a team of epidemiologists conducted an extensive interview with the affected person that included what they ate, where they ate it and when their symptoms started. 

“Each one seems to be an independent case on its own, and none of them trace back to the actual multi-state outbreak,” she said. 

Cyclosporasis tends to be a seasonal infection that runs from May to the end of August, Dotson said. Positive cases can emerge later because the disease can incubate for two or more weeks. 

Should I be concerned about salmonella in Mississippi?

Several recalls remain active for salmonella, a bacteria that causes illness year-round and has been reportable in Mississippi for decades.

“We’re always looking at salmonella,” Dotson said. 

Amid multi-state outbreaks of salmonella reported in jalapeno and eggs, Mississippi had some stores in the recall distribution chain but no confirmed cases linking salmonella to either outbreak, Dotson said. On Sept. 3, the CDC closed the investigation into potentially salmonella-contaminated eggs. The jalapeno investigation remains ongoing.

To test for clustered salmonella cases, state public health laboratories send samples through genomic sequencing and add it to a national CDC database called PulseNet. The amount of similar genetic sequences shows how closely bacterial samples are linked. If the samples reveal striking resemblances to a similar sequence, epidemiologists know it is connected to a certain outbreak.  

How can I keep myself safe from foodborne illnesses?

Experts recommended the following measures:

• Stay up to date on food recalls through the FDA and USDA websites, or sign up for email alerts;
• Pay attention to recall notices from grocery stores. If you have a shopper’s card at Kroger or Costco, for instance, you will get emails about their food recalls; 
• Clean fruits and vegetables, even produce that is pre-washed;
• Wash your hands, utensils, and kitchen surfaces often, including before food preparation and eating;
• Separate raw meat, poultry, eggs and seafood from foods that are ready to eat, to help prevent cross-contamination;
• Refrigerate and freeze foods promptly, such as by refrigerating perishable foods within two hours, or one hour if food is exposed to temperatures above 90°F;
• Buy produce locally when possible, such as at farmer’s markets;
• Be aware of your risk level. Young children, older adults, pregnant people and those with weakened immune systems have a higher risk of severe symptoms from foodborne illnesses.

Grocery shoppers who see a recalled product or concerning product on store shelves can scan the QR code on a Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce regulatory inspection sticker to report it, said Andy Gipson, the department’s commissioner. The red, white and blue stickers are placed throughout grocery stores and the checkout counter. 

What should I do if I think I am sick with a foodborne illness?

First, seek medical care, Dotson advises. From there, medical providers can offer tests for different foodborne illnesses. A cyclospora test is not included in the routine panel and has to be specifically asked for by the patient. 

Why have foodborne illnesses been so prominent this year? 

It’s hard to say whether food is getting less safe or not, but the whole food distribution system is under stress right now, said Barbara Kowalcyk, director of the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University. 

“When you have a system under stress, failures do tend to happen more,” she said. The challenges start from the farms under stress from increased labor and fuel costs. They then spread all the way up the supply chain to distributors and escalating retail costs. Then, there’s public health agencies and regulatory agencies overseeing the safety of the food supply. 

As an example, Kowalcyk brought up the CDC’s parasitology group, once comprised of 11 staff members who were in charge of coordinating outbreak response across states and internationally. Part of the CDC team’s funding came from a different federal agency that was responsible for foreign aid and development, USAID. After the Trump administration cut USAID funds in early 2025, the CDC team was reduced to three staff members. 

Part of USAID’s work was funding water sanitation and hygiene programs in countries that import produce into the U.S. 

“And when you’re talking about cyclospora, you’re talking about contaminated agricultural water in all likelihood, or processing water,” Kowalcyk said. 

She thinks it’s important to understand that beyond the number of outbreaks, people should be aware of how quickly a response is mounted. Kowalcyk likens food safety to a fishnet. If the fishnet has big holes, it can only catch big fish, and not many. “Ideally you’ll have a strong fishnet with smaller holes so you can catch fish when they’re smaller, before they become a problem,” she said. 

 Who’s in charge of food safety in Mississippi?

Recalls are handled by two federal agencies. The FDA covers about 80% of the U.S. food supply, including fruits, vegetables, dairy, eggs, packaged foods, dietary supplements and seafood, except catfish. The U. S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, handles recalled meat, poultry, processed egg products and catfish. However, most recalls are voluntary and come after the distributing company identified a health hazard in its product.  

The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce has a team of about 200 food safety inspectors in grocery stores working with store managers to make sure recalled products have been taken off the shelves. 

“We’re the boots on the ground making sure that lettuce is not being offered for sale at the Dollar General if it’s under a recall,” Gipson said, as an example.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Health is in charge of restaurant and food facility inspections, conducted one to four times a year, depending on the facility’s risk level. 

Gipson emphasized that the level of food safety in the U.S. is the “gold standard.” 

“There’s no country that has the high level of food safety protocols that we have,” he said. “I feel very good about the safety of our food in Mississippi.” Gipson also encouraged Mississippians to shop for local food, which tends to be fresher than grocery store products.

In the most recent Global Food Security Index report, the U.S. ranked third out of 113 countries on the “Quality and Safety” pillar in 2022. Crist acknowledged this general safety with a caveat, saying, “The United States has many safeguards to protect its food supply, but no food system is completely free of risk.”

This story was produced with support from the Sarah Yelena Haselhorst Fund for Health Journalism.