Christina Hart Resumes Reviews After Cyclospora Cost 20 Pounds and 3 Weeks

Q: Washing vegetables won't stop this parasite, so what is the only proven way to guarantee your summer salad won't leave you hospitalized?

Cooking produce to at least 158°F (70°C) is the only proven way to reliably kill Cyclospora and guarantee the parasite will not survive on food. That is the key distinction in the current outbreak. Health agencies say rinsing fruits and vegetables under running water is still worth doing because it can reduce dirt and some contamination, but it cannot be counted on to remove Cyclospora. The parasite can cling to leafy greens, herbs and berries, and it is resistant to standard chlorine-based sanitizers and household produce-wash tricks such as vinegar or baking soda. For foods that can be cooked, heat is the dependable safeguard. Public health guidance says produce should reach at least 158°F throughout, not just be lightly warmed. That makes cooked greens, sautéed vegetables and other heated produce safer choices than raw salads during an outbreak. For a true summer salad, though, there is no way to “guarantee” safety if it remains raw. The practical protection is to avoid recalled products, especially the Taylor Farms de Mexico iceberg lettuce tied to the multistate outbreak, throw out any recalled lettuce, and clean utensils and surfaces that touched it with hot, soapy water. So if the question is how to guarantee your salad will not make you sick from Cyclospora, the hard answer is this: you cannot guarantee safety with a raw salad. The only proven kill step is cooking the produce.

2 articles · Updated · WZTV · Aug 6

Tuesday marked Christina Hart’s first restaurant review since a Cyclospora infection sidelined the Nashville creator behind The Locally Owned Series.
Nearly 20 pounds and 3 weeks of recovery followed after symptoms escalated from stomach pain to diarrhea every 30 to 60 minutes, forcing her to pause a fast-growing review business.
Hart said testing confirmed Cyclospora, but she still cannot identify the source because symptoms can take up to 2 weeks to appear and contaminated produce can extend beyond lettuce.
Fewer than 10 cases have been identified in Davidson County, Metro Public Health said, adding that tracing a common restaurant or supplier remains difficult without clearer links.
Hart said her experience shows the nationwide outbreak can hit anyone and urged people with prolonged symptoms to seek care, while officials advise washing produce and favoring cooked vegetables.