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Human feces as fertilizer? Cyclospora raises questions, doctor says - NewsNation

newsnationnow.com

A U.S. cyclospora outbreak tied to imported produce forces an uncomfortable question: is human fecal matter being used as fertilizer on crops Americans eat?

Risk HomeostasisTragedy of the CommonsPrincipal-Agent ProblemExternalities

Theory Briefing

  • Cyclospora, a parasite spread through fecal contamination, is behind a U.S. diarrhea outbreak linked to imported produce.
  • A doctor is raising alarms about how human waste may be entering the agricultural supply chain as fertilizer.
  • The outbreak spotlights a gap between U.S. food safety standards and the farming practices of exporting countries.
  • Imported produce bypasses some domestic oversight, making the contamination pathway hard to trace and regulate.