Monterey County farm bureau says local iceberg lettuce is safe amid cyclospora outbreak

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As cyclospora outbreaks raise concerns across parts of the U.S., the Monterey County Farm Bureau is reassuring Central Coast residents that local iceberg lettuce is safe to consume.

Norm Groot, executive director of the Monterey County Farm Bureau, said local lettuce, whether purchased from grocery stores or farmers markets, is safe.

"I think we can be confident in the Salinas Valley products that we're harvesting currently, and what's going into our processing facilities is being handled in the safest manner possible," Groot said.

"Our fields are still operating as normal, lettuce is still being harvested here, and there's a lot of other leafy greens that are in the marketplace too, whether it's spinach, or romaine, or others. This is related directly to iceberg lettuce," he added.

Groot also emphasized that safety practices are in place to prevent situations like this from happening.