I’ve been an insomniac for most of my life, perseverating in the wee hours night after night over all manner of anxieties.
I used to sleep on the floor of my closet when I was a kid, traumatized by duck-and-cover exercises at school that made us all visualize death in a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Then, when my kids got their drivers licenses, I don’t think I got a good night’s sleep for five years.
But I never thought I’d lie awake at night worrying about lettuce.
Yet here we are in the summer of 2026 obsessed with explosive diarrhea and standing in line at the farmer’s market to pay $6 for a bag of arugula in the hope of avoiding it.
It really is the stuff of nightmares.
Food & Water Watch reports the CDC confirmed more than 10,000 cases of cyclosporiasis between May 1 and Aug. 4 in 47 states, with 517 hospitalizations and two deaths. That’s clearly a small fraction of the cases, however, since most people go uncounted because they can’t afford to seek medical treatment.
Jeez, Michigan alone has reported more than 12,000 cases.
While Colorado has not been as seriously affected (so far) by the cyclosporiasis outbreak, contaminated jalapeño peppers have been linked to a few hundred cases of more serious salmonella poisoning, including more than 100 people sickened here.
Both outbreaks have been linked to produce sold by Taylor Farms, a huge multinational food distributor that had $7.3 billion in revenue last year and has been linked to repeated outbreaks of salmonella, listeria, cyclosporiasis and E. coli for at least 17 years.
It should surprise absolutely no one then that Taylor Farms has spent millions to support candidates who promise to ease regulations on food safety across the country. It’s a privately held company, so profit statements aren’t shared publicly, but dealing with food inspectors is clearly a buzz-kill, so buying a few politicians seems like a good investment for the family members in charge of the company.
Taylor Farms gave more than $1 million to MAGA Inc., a Trump PAC, and $1.1 million to other PACs supporting explosive-diarrhea-friendly Republicans in 2025. Earlier political contributions included $850,000 to AFP Action, an anti-regulation PAC associated with the billionaire Koch brothers (who are not just coincidentally the fabulous folks who bring you toilet paper).
From all appearances, the company got its money’s worth.
But it seems if a country is going to lay off food inspectors as the U.S. did in huge numbers during the DOGE insanity, it would make sense to beef up public health agencies so that when the inevitable outbreaks of food-borne illnesses follow, scientists can respond quickly to identify the sources of contamination, eliminate them and protect us from serious illness.
Ha, ha, ha, ha. Don’t be ridiculous.
Along with the elimination of hundreds of food inspectors, staff cuts to federal and state public health departments across the country have made responding to the outbreaks — an already challenging situation under the best of circumstances — much more difficult.
Local public health departments, starved of federal funding, are unable to promptly and accurately report cases, leaving investigators without information critical to tracking the source of the dirty produce. Staffing shortages have slowed the response, delayed identification of the sources of contaminants and left consumers in the dark about what to eat.
Public information from the CDC about the contaminated foods, which has long been a reliable source of information for consumers and health professionals, also has been slow, tentative and woefully inadequate.
Obviously, in Trump’s America public health is a low priority.
When asked about the thousands of cases of cyclosporiasis sweeping the country, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was dismissive. “There are cyclospora outbreaks every summer,” he said. Next question.
And, thanks to him, we now have measles outbreaks every winter.
With all the budget cuts, the anti-vaccination propaganda and the policies that have resulted in an estimated 8 million Americans losing health insurance coverage, this administration is ostentatiously pro-disease.
Which leaves us all on our own to try to stay safe and healthy.
The renowned food safety expert Marion Nestle years ago said to always wash produce carefully before eating it, especially the packaged stuff that claims to be triple-washed. That just means it has three times as many chances to be drenched in contaminated water. Pay attention to product recalls and cook commonly contaminated foods like chicken and eggs well.
And at every opportunity, vote as if your life depends on it.
It’s one thing we’ve learned from cyclosporiasis. In RFK, Jr.’s Washington, nobody cares if the lettuce is toxic and makes tens of thousands of people sick. What’s a little explosive diarrhea among friends? Only the weak and the old die of it, after all. Not a problem.
Let them eat beef tallow.
Diane Carman is a Denver communications consultant.
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