Forty percent of U.S. adults say they are buying or eating less produce as a nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak continues to spread, even as federal health officials have yet to identify a definitive source.
A CBS News-YouGov poll released Sunday found that 40% of respondents said they were purchasing or eating less produce, while just 4% reported buying more. A majority, 56%, said their eating and shopping habits had not changed.
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added four states to the outbreak investigation: Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania. They join Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia, bringing the total number of states under investigation to nine.
Federal investigators initially traced shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in those states to a single supplier in Mexico. Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration said the outbreak appeared to be linked to iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms Mexico. However, after further review, officials determined the positive test result was a false positive.
The CDC said at least 1,947 people have been sickened in the nine-state outbreak, including 98 who were hospitalized. The recalled lettuce was distributed to restaurants, retailers, and consumers in at least 27 states, prompting federal health officials to advise consumers not to eat the affected products and to discard or return them.
Since May 1, the CDC has confirmed 4,173 domestically acquired cases across 41 states. The agency is reviewing more than 7,400 additional reports, many from Michigan and Ohio, to determine whether they are linked to existing outbreaks or represent separate clusters.
WHAT IS CYCLOSPORIASIS, AND WHAT ARE THE HIGHEST-RISK STATES?
Investigators are also examining whether illnesses reported outside the nine-state outbreak are tied to different contaminated products. In North Carolina, for example, state health officials have said recent cases do not appear to be linked to the recalled lettuce. Instead, preliminary evidence has pointed to parsley and cilantro as possible sources, though officials emphasize the investigation remains ongoing and neither ingredient has emerged as a nationwide source.
CBS News and YouGov surveyed 2,193 U.S. adults nationally from July 22-24 with a margin of error of 2.7 percentage points.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
