Native America Calling: New outbreak of food-borne illness shakes public confidence in food supply

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Native America Calling: New outbreak of food-borne illness shakes public confidence in food supply

Monday, August 3, 2026

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New outbreak of food-borne illness shakes public confidence in food supply

Tribal public health officials are among those reassuring citizens about the safety of their food as reports of new cases of cyclospora infections continue to rise.

Michigan continues to be a hotspot with state officials reporting more than 11,000 cases through the end of July. The actual number is likely much higher than that.

One hurdle in tracking the cyclosporiasis outbreak is it has a long incubation period and it can’t be traced through the genetic markers that some other food-borne illnesses have. The infections are traced mainly to tainted lettuce from Mexico.

Nearly all other states are also reporting cyclospora cases, many of them from a variety of sources.

Lettuce. Photo: Jef Wright (thejefwright)

Guests on Native America Calling

Harleigh Moore-Wilson (Osage), director of agriculture for Flower Hill Institute, a Native-owned, community-directed non-profit based at the Pueblo of Jemez in New Mexico

Dr. Matthew Clark, chief medical officer for the Alaska Area Native Health Service, acting deputy chief medical officer for the Indian Health Service (IHS), and chair of the IHS National Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee

Will Seeley, tribal enterprise manager for the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative at the University of Arkansa