Cyclospora outbreak shows risks of consolidated food supply

The cyclospora epidemic, which has sickened thousands of people in the United States, draws renewed attention to the decades-long change in the circulation of fresh food across the country.

While researchers try to determine the original source of the contamination, some Food safety experts say the industry’s centralized sourcing and distribution networks, following a wave of consolidation, could help turn what might once have been an isolated contamination incident into a multi-state outbreak.

Professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University, Dr. “The general trends that are happening in the food industry, the way food is sourced and distributed, have played a role here,” David Relman said.

The cyclospora parasite’s long incubation period, difficulty tracking its path and what some experts criticized as a bumpy federal response played a role in the epidemic’s expansion. Some experts say the structure of the food system also contributes.

“As food supply and distribution consolidates, it is possible for what was a very localized contamination problem to be pooled and then redistributed so that it can now become a widely distributed contamination problem,” Relman said.

Marion Nestle, professor emeritus of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, said industry downsizing increases the consequences when contamination occurs.

“Consolidation means that if something goes wrong, it goes wrong in a big way,” Nestle said.

Centralized processing could further expand the reach of the epidemic, he said.

The FDA’s current investigation into cyclosporiasis focused on shredded iceberg lettuce, an ingredient distributed through Taylor Farms’ food service business, reaching Taco Bell restaurants and other food service customers in many states.

Relman mentioned bagged lettuce as an example of how changes in distribution can spread a foodborne illness.

“Consider the difference between a head of lettuce and a bag of chopped lettuce that may have come from multiple heads,” he said. “These bags are now produced in large numbers and distributed to far-flung distribution networks.”

For example, salad maker Taylor Farms, which has been under scrutiny due to the recent cyclospora outbreak, has expanded significantly over the past decade through a series of acquisitions, including Earthbound Farm. in 2019Curated Foods in 2021 and most recently Equinox Breeders in march.

Meanwhile, restaurant supply is becoming increasingly concentrated thanks to broad-line distributors. Sysco, USA Foods And Performance Food Group serving hundreds of thousands of restaurants and corporate kitchens across the country.

Although federal regulators blocked Sysco’s $8.2 billion proposed acquisition of US Foods in 2015 on antitrust grounds, both companies continued to grow through smaller acquisitions of regional distributors and fresh produce processors.

Sysco, the nation’s largest foodservice distributor, has spent the past decade expanding its fresh produce business by acquiring regional distributors, including regional distributors. Sample Foods in Pennsylvania, Coastal Companies in the middle of the Atlantic and Greco and Sonsspecialty food distributor with 10 distribution centers nationwide.

These agreements expanded Sysco’s reach in fresh-cut produce and value-added processing, allowing a larger share of restaurants to source ingredients through the same distribution network.

US Foods in 2016 acquired Freshway FoodsProcessor, repacker and distributor of fresh fruits and vegetables in the eastern half of the United States.

Some food distribution experts believe fewer companies in the industry are exacerbating the problems that arise.

But not everyone agrees that consolidation is the enemy.

Large produce growers and processors often operate with more advanced food safety systems than smaller farms because they have the financial resources to invest in testing, traceability, inspection and quality control, said Timothy Lytton, a health and safety regulatory expert at Georgia State University.

“It’s not entirely clear whether larger operations have more food safety issues than smaller operations,” Lytton said.

In California he added: studies At farmers’ markets, fresh produce grown by small farmers has been found to be contaminated with E. coli.

“While you have a farmer who is very concerned about the quality of the product, you also have a more holistic idea of ​​farming in an organic model that often involves animals near crops,” Lytton said. “This combination of animals and crops can create food security problems.”

Even so, Lytton acknowledged that when contamination occurs in large processor networks, the recalls that occur at the distribution level are much larger and more difficult to manage.

CNBC reached out to the major food supplier group about safety precautions and tracking procedures. Sysco referred CNBC to the International Foodservice Distribution Association.

“The foodservice supply chain that feeds our communities is complex, and foodservice distributors are highly skilled at tracking and tracing the food they distribute,” a spokesperson for IFDA said. “They maintain robust records identifying the source, internal movement, and recipient of all products they obtain and have a proven track record of providing critical tracking information to the FDA within 24-48 hours to support foodborne illness outbreak investigations and quickly remove products from commerce.”

Relman emphasized that consolidation itself does not create contamination, but when contamination occurs it changes the results.

“We often don’t appreciate a system like the food inspection system or the public health system in general until it fails,” Relman said. “We can’t keep doing this.”