WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — A parasite called Cyclospora has sickened thousands of people across the country, according to the FDA, and it's now prompting some local shoppers to rethink where they buy their produce.
The Franklin Farmers Market drew a crowd of shoppers scanning for one produce item in particular: lettuce.
Rose Creek Farms' Ray Tyler said his lettuce was flying off the table — selling out nearly two hours earlier than usual.
"Ballpark maybe a thousand pounds. Yeah, we normally we will sell out, we'll have a little bit left over by 12 o'clock, we were pretty much sold out by 10."
Tyler said it seems to happen every year.
"It seems to happen every year. Some monoculture big ag has issues with their lettuce."
Tyler is proud of how much care his family puts into their local, organic produce. In the face of a nationwide produce sickness scare, he wasn't surprised to see his neighbors turn to local farmers.
"It's still important that you know who your farmer is. You know where your farming is coming from. And that you can trust that that source is indeed transparent."
Delvin Farm's Cindy Delvin is also getting lots of questions about the Cyclospora parasite.
"It's good that people are concerned and I think it's good that people are knowledgeable about their food."
Delvin said this is another opportunity to learn what goes into the produce and groceries you bring home.
"When they come to a farmers market they're talking to the person who's growing their food, making their food, baking their food."
As shoppers turn to their neighbors to help fill their produce bags, local farmers say they're ready to meet the growing demand.
"Yeah, so we'll we'll crank up the production next week," Tyler said.
In the Nashville area, Metro Health says they've only confirmed about 10 cases.
The FDA said it's traced much of the sickness to a single supplier, Taylor Farms in Mexico. Taylor Farms announced it would voluntarily pull iceberg lettuce sourced from Mexico from store shelves. Some of that lettuce was distributed to Taco Bell stores in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Amanda.Roberts@NewsChannel5.com
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