Is Aldi Affected By the Cyclospora Outbreak?

In July of 2026, the CDC announced that it was launching an investigation into a multi-state outbreak of cyclosporiasis, an infection caused by Cyclospora, a single-celled pathogen. The most common symptom of Cyclospora infection is “explosive diarrhea” along with cramps, fatigue, and other symptoms. The infection can be more severe in more vulnerable populations, including infants, the elderly, and immunocompromised, although it is rarely fatal.

Cyclospora is transmitted through food or water contaminated by human feces. It is not passed from person to person, since the pathogen needs 1-2 weeks in the environment to incubate. Likewise, it takes about a week for a person to show symptoms after ingesting contaminated food. Because of the way it operates, Cyclospora is more resistant to rinsing and sanitizers than some other pathogens.

According to the CDC, most of the cases are concentrated in Michigan, but there could well be more cases nationwide that aren’t being tracked.

As of June 14, 2026, the CDC has not pinpointed the cause of the outbreak. It could be connected to the harvesting of specific produce out in the fields, or it could happen in factories during packaging. Cyclospora can be killed by cooking products, which leaves uncooked produce as a primary risk factor.

Some experts point out that Cyclospora are most common on certain kinds of produce with more textured surfaces, including lettuce, raspberries, basil, and parsley. Precut lettuce is particularly common as a source in past cases.

But we don’t know for sure yet what is causing this outbreak, much less which grocers might be affected. So what should shoppers do?

Some epidemiologists recommend avoiding bagged and boxed salads for now, at least until an exact cause is found. Whole heads of lettuce that you wash and cut yourself are typically safer than the prepackaged ones.

We’ll update this post as we learn more.