Cases of the explosive diarrhea-causing cyclosporiasis parasite in North Carolina are on the rise because of a widespread outbreak linked to produce. The state health department is now reporting at least 561 cases since May 1. For context, that’s almost twice the total for North Carolina in all of last year. And the Charlotte Ledger says it’s a gut check moment for local restaurants, farmers and food-related businesses. The Charlotte Ledger’s Tony Mecia joined WFAE’s Marshall Terry for our segment BizWorthy.
Marshall Terry: Let’s start with farmers. It seems like this is bad news for them, with people being told to be cautious with produce and avoid some staples like lettuce. Is it?
Tony Mecia: The farmers that we talked to said it kind of cuts both ways. Yes, people are pulling back from eating lettuce, salads, and certain other vegetables that you don’t wash before eating. But at the same time, they’re very hopeful, these farmers are, that people are going to look at how food makes it to our plates and say, ‘look, I want something local where I know where it came from’ as opposed to these multinational companies with large and complex supply chains…