The Food and Drug Administration is banning some of the fresh cilantro imported from Pueblo, Mexico, after health officials linked the herb to intestinal illnesses or known as Cyclosporiasis in the United States.
On Monday, FDA issued a ban on fresh cilantro from Pueblo after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention along with state public health officials discovered that the intestinal illness outbreaks are associated with the fresh cilantro from Pueblo Mexico.
The intestinal outbreaks are due to contamination from the fresh cilantro that are grown from Pueblo, Mexico, as the FDA traces the cause of the illnesses, focusing from April to August, the months the outbreaks repeatedly occurred.
From 2012 to 2015, FDA and Mexican regulators investigated 11 farms and packing company that produce cilantro in the state of Pueblo. The results show that eight of them are identified as objectionable condition and five are linked to the parasite that causes the illnesses.
According to FDA, during the examination, investigators noted, "Conditions observed at multiple such firms in the state of Puebla included human feces and toilet paper found in growing fields and around facilities; inadequately maintained and supplied toilet and hand washing facilities (no soap, no toilet paper, no running water, no paper towels) or a complete lack of toilet and hand washing facilities; food-contact surfaces (such as plastic crates used to transport cilantro or tables where cilantro was cut and bundled) visibly dirty and not washed; and water used for purposes such as washing cilantro vulnerable to contamination from sewage/septic systems."
In addition, officials also found a water tank from one company, which is intended for employees hand wash was positive of the parasites.
After thorough investigation, FDA legally prohibits fresh cilantro grown from Pueblo Mexico to enter U.S from April 1 to August 30 of every year until the concern groups can produce proper documents, allowing them to export fresh cilantro in U. S.
