Iowa farmer says sales have grown amid cyclosporiasis outbreak
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Grade A Gardens stand at the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market. Photo: Courtesy of Grade A Gardens
One unexpected effect of the cyclosporiasis outbreak: Iowans are seeking more local produce.
Why it matters: Iowa was added to the Centers for Disease Control's list of 15 states dealing with the recent outbreak, according to the New York Times.
State of play: Last weekend saw Grade A Gardens' biggest sales of the year at the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market, which owner Jordan Clasen partly attributes to people's fears over the outbreak.
- The problem is, lettuce is out of season in Iowa.
- "I am getting a lot of people asking if we have lettuce. … I hate turning people away, but I just simply don't have it right now," he tells Axios.
By the numbers: 226 lab-confirmed infections had been reported in 48 Iowa counties as of July 30, according to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, compared with 69 cases total last year.
- Polk County has identified 36 positive cases. About two-thirds of those cases were locally acquired, while a third were from international travel, says Addie Olson, spokesperson for the Polk County Health Department.
- The department does not know where the local cases came from, but Olson says Iowa was part of the Taylor Farms lettuce recalls.
Zoom out: Clasen farms on 30 acres in Earlham with his wife, Whitney. While the outbreak is unfortunate, he says, it's also been an educational moment for people to learn where their food is sourced.
- Taylor Farms, a California-based company at the center of the outbreak, sells more than $7 billion worth of produce each year, growing food in more than a dozen states, as well as in Mexico and Canada, per the Times.
- And though Iowa has the best soil in the world, 90% of our food is imported, according to the Leopold Center at Iowa State.
What they're saying: Clasen encourages people to try what's ripe in Iowa right now, saying it's the "rainbow of the season," including corn, tomatoes, green beans, cooking greens and okra.
- "I love lettuce, and I wish I had some for my BLTs right now, but we like to eat in season," he says.