The Food and Drug Administration has banned imports of cilantro from Puebla, Mexico after investigators found human feces and toilet paper in the herb’s growing fields.
After cilantro from Puebla was linked to stomach illnesses in the United States in 2013 and 2014, an investigation was launched. According to ABC 7, that is when investigators came upon the gross news:
Following up on the outbreaks, U.S. and Mexican health authorities investigated 11 farms and packing houses in Puebla over the last three years. The FDA said it discovered “objectionable conditions” at eight of those firms, including five that were linked to the U.S. outbreaks. The FDA said the officials discovered the feces and toilet paper in fields and found that some of the farms had no running water or toilet facilities.
The investigation also found dirty containers that had held cilantro and, at one firm, water that tested positive for the cyclospora parasite that caused the stomach illnesses.
The ban affects shipments from April through August this year and every year until farms in the area show improved conditions.
